NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken the lead in the Delhi assembly election results, crossing the majority mark, according to early trends from the Election Commission.

BJP is leading on 42 seats, while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is ahead on 27 seats. To form the government in Delhi, a party needs at least 38 seats.

AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal is leading from the New Delhi seat by 254 votes. However, AAP’s Atishi is trailing behind BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri in Kalkaji by 1,149 votes. In Greater Kailash, AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj is also behind BJP's Shikha Roy by 459 votes.

BJP has also gained the lead in Okhla, an AAP stronghold, with a margin of 2,260 votes. Meanwhile, AAP’s Gopal Rai is leading in Babarpur by 5,602 votes, and Imran Hussain is ahead in Ballimaran by 1,824 votes. On the other hand, Satyendra Jain is trailing behind BJP’s Karnail Singh in Shakur Basti by 2,956 votes.

Former AAP leader Kailash Gahlot, who recently joined BJP, has a comfortable lead of 2,217 votes in Bijwasan.

Vote counting is also happening in Uttar Pradesh’s Milkipur and Tamil Nadu’s Erode, where by-elections were held. Security is tight across counting centers. The Delhi elections took place on February 5, with a voter turnout of 60.54%.

AAP is hoping for a third term in office, while BJP is aiming to regain power in Delhi after more than 20 years. Exit polls predicted a BJP victory, but AAP leaders believe they will prove the polls wrong and return to power.

The BJP’s campaign, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focused on criticizing AAP over issues like pollution in the Yamuna River and the costly renovation of Kejriwal’s residence. The PM also used the terms "Aapda" and "Sheesh Mahal" to attack Kejriwal.

AAP, on the other hand, highlighted its achievements in education. Kejriwal warned that BJP might stop free education if it wins.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also campaigned, targeting Kejriwal and AAP’s Manish Sisodia over the alleged liquor policy scam.

A key battle is happening in the New Delhi constituency, where Kejriwal is up against Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit and BJP’s Parvesh Verma.