The Congress has bagged simple majority in the Delhi [Images] assembly elections to retain power for a third consecutive term.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and five of her cabinet colleagues were among the successful candidates of Congress in the keenly contested electoral battle for the 70-member House.

Dikshit, Chief Minister for past ten years, got 39,747 votes defeating BJP's Vijay Jolly by a margin of 14,078 votes. This is her third consecutive win in the assembly elections, this time from the newly-created New Delhi constituency following delimitation.

Om Prakash Chautala-led Indian National Lok Dal sprang a surprise by winning Najafgarh seat while BSP bagged the Gokulpuri seat.

"There is no anti-incumbency rather there is always pro-incumbency," Dikshit said as Congress secured a historic third term in power in Delhi.

"I congratulate the people of Delhi and many thanks to them for their support and affection for the Congress," she added as jubilant party supporters danced to drumbeats and burst firecrackers.

Conceding defeat, BJP chief ministerial candidate Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the party's performance in the elections to the state had not been up to the expectations.

"It is our defeat. The results in the assembly polls have not been on expected lines. We will certainly review why our candidates could not win in some seats that were considered our stronghold," Malhotra told media persons.

The constituencies where the ruling party won included Uttam Nagar, Adarsh Nagar, Model Town, Chattarpur, Jungpura, Dwarka, Kondli, Deoli, Seemapuri, Kalkaji, Gandhi Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Mangolpuri and Malviya Nagar.

The BJP victory came in Shalimar Bagh, Bijwasan, Palam, Trilokpuri and Delhi Cantt.

Ministers A K Walia (Laxmi Nagar), Raj Kumar Chouhan (Mongolpuri) and Arvinder Singh Lovely (Gandhi Nagar) were among the winners from the Congress camp besides former Speaker Subhash Chopra (Kalkaji).

Lovely romped home with a huge margin of 31,925 votes while Walia's victory margin was 17,208.

Those who won with plus 10,000 vote margin included Congress' Mahabal Mishra (Dwarka -- 13,981 votes), Ravinder Singh Lovely (Deoli -- 16,628), Vir Singh Dhingan (Seemapuri -- 19,268) and Amreesh Singh Gautam (Kondli -- 14,983). INLD's Bharat Singh was another candidate in this category by defeating Congress' Kawal Singh Yadav by 12,453 votes.

Image: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit celebrates her party's victory at her residence in New Delhi.
Text & Photograph: PTI

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