Text Size: A- A+

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to sweep the upcoming Delhi assembly elections with 54-60 of the union territory’s 70 seats, according to an opinion poll conducted by news channel Times Now and market research firm Ipsos.

The poll also predicted a tally of 10-14 for the BJP and 0-2 for the Congress. The vote-share for the AAP, BJP and Congress will hover around 52 per cent, 34 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively, it said.

A total of 54-60 will mark a fall for the AAP over its 2015 sweep of 67 seats. In that election, the remaining three seats were won by the BJP, while the Congress got none.

Also read: Amit Shah raises Shaheen Bagh in Delhi election: BJP’s desperation or trump card?

‘71% of Delhiites support CAA’

One of the notable conclusions of the poll is that 71 per cent of the respondents expressed support for the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which seeks to ease citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

According to the survey, as many as 51 per cent of Delhiites believe the anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh is “unjustified”.

In the run-up to the assembly polls, scheduled for 8 February, the Shaheen Bagh protest has become an election issue, with many BJP leaders making provocative statements about the stir in a purported bid to polarise the electorate.

Underway for over 50 days, the Shaheen Bagh protest is primarily led by Muslim women.

BJP leaders have blamed the protest on AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and tried to project him as a “sympathiser” of “anti-national sentiments”.

According to the Times Now-Ipsos poll, about 25 per cent of the respondents said the protest appeared justified.

Even so, according to the survey, voters’ disagreement with the Shaheen Bagh protest won’t translate into votes for the BJP, with the AAP, whose campaign focused on its governance initiatives, emerging as the winner.

One of the survey questions required respondents to name the party they trusted vis-a-vis communal harmony and unemployment.

The AAP took a lead here too, with 53 per cent reposing their faith in the party for communal harmony. Thirty-three per cent of the respondents voted for the BJP on this count.

On unemployment, 47 per cent of the respondents said they trusted AAP while 37 per cent claim BJP. However, the opinion poll also suggested that job creation is not a huge factor in the upcoming polls.

Also read: Why Shaheen Bagh protesters need not worry about Delhi election

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube & Telegram

Why news media is in crisis & How you can fix it You are reading this because you value good, intelligent and objective journalism. We thank you for your time and your trust. You also know that the news media is facing an unprecedented crisis. It is likely that you are also hearing of the brutal layoffs and pay-cuts hitting the industry. There are many reasons why the media’s economics is broken. But a big one is that good people are not yet paying enough for good journalism. We have a newsroom filled with talented young reporters. We also have the country’s most robust editing and fact-checking team, finest news photographers and video professionals. We are building India’s most ambitious and energetic news platform. And have just turned three. At ThePrint, we invest in quality journalists. We pay them fairly. As you may have noticed, we do not flinch from spending whatever it takes to make sure our reporters reach where the story is. This comes with a sizable cost. For us to continue bringing quality journalism, we need readers like you to pay for it. If you think we deserve your support, do join us in this endeavour to strengthen fair, free, courageous and questioning journalism. Please click on the link below. Your support will define ThePrint’s future. Support Our Journalism

Show Full Article