MCD election results 2017: As it happened

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday won the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls and retained the three municipal corporations for the third term in a row, as predicted in exit polls. 

Unable to accept its defeat, the AAP has alleged widespread tampering of EVMs in favour of the BJP.

The AAP's rout comes more than two years after the Delhi Assembly Elections when the fledgling political outfit humiliated the BJP winning 67 of the 70 Delhi Assembly polls when it got a huge 54 percent of the votes. The BJP won three seats that year but registered 33 percent of the vote share. 

The MCD poll win is the latest in a series of BJP election victories credited largely to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, meanwhile, took moral responsibility for the party's poor show and announced he was resigning from his post.

A total of 2,537 candidates were in the fray for North Delhi Municipal Corporation (103 seats) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (104 seats), and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (63 seats).

Here are the LIVE updates:

• Social activist Anna Hazare blames his former protege and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal`s quest for power behind the Aam Aadmi Party`s debacle in the Delhi civic polls. "People gave him a mandate and he got an opportunity to turn Delhi into a model state for the entire country to replicate. But power is bad. Once you sit in the chair, you lose your power of thinking," says Hazare.

• "EVM bahana: seems AAP leaders have not just lost elections, they've lost it," tweets Yogendra Yadav, whose Swaraj India party failed to win even a single seat in the civic polls in Delhi.

• Final tally: BJP - 181, AAP - 48, Congress - 30, Others - 11.

• 3:50 pm: MCD (270): BJP - 185 seats, Congress 28, AAP 46, Others 11

  NDMC (103): BJP - 65 seats, Congress 13, AAP 22, Others 3

  SDMC (104): BJP - 71 seats, Congress 12 AAP 15, Others 6

  EDMC (63): BJP - 49 seats, Congress 3, AAP 9, Others 2

• 2:25 pm: MCD (270): BJP - 184 seats, Congress 27, AAP 48, Others 11

  NDMC (103): BJP - 65 seats, Congress 13, AAP 22, Others 3

  SDMC (104): BJP - 70 seats, Congress 11, AAP 17, Others 6

  EDMC (63): BJP - 49 seats, Congress 3, AAP 9, Others 2

• 2:00 pm: MCD (270) (Leads+Won): BJP - 178 seats, Congress 35, AAP 46, Others 11

  NDMC (103) (Leads+Won): BJP - 64 seats, Congress 14, AAP 22, Others 3

  SDMC (104) (Leads+Won): BJP - 67 seats, Congress 16, AAP 15, Others 6

  EDMC (63) (Leads+Won): BJP - 47 seats, Congress 5, AAP 9, Others 2

• After Ajay Maken, Delhi Congress in-charge PC Chacko offers to resign.

• "Grateful to the people of Delhi for the faith in BJP. I laud the hardwork of team @BJP4Delhi which made the resounding MCD win possible," tweets PM Narendra Modi.

• We dedicate this win to CRPF jawans who lost their lives in Sukma attack: Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari

• MCD (270): BJP wins in 78 seats, AAP 18, Congress 6

  NDMC (103): BJP registers victory in 29 seats, Congress 9, AAP 10

  SDMC (104): BJP wins in 26 seats, Congress 4, AAP 4

  EDMC (63): BJP grabs victory in 23 seats, AAP 2

• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Alka Lamba offers to resign from all party posts taking the moral responsibility for the party`s defeat in the municipal seats falling under her constituency. "I offer to quit from all the party posts and MLA post taking the moral responsibility for the defeat of the party in all the three wards of my constituency," Lamba, who represents Chandni Chowk constituency in central Delhi, tweets. 

• Addressing the media after the BJP was set to sweep the MCD polls, AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleges widespread tampering of EVMs to favour the BJP and says there was "no reason" for the people of Delhi to favour the BJPs. He adds that a little percentage of difference in favour of the BJP would have been acceptable, but "this difference is unbelievable".

• MCD (270): BJP wins in 36 seats, AAP 8, Congress 6

  NDMC (103): BJP registers victory in 20 seats, Congress 5, AAP 3

  SDMC (104): BJP wins in 16 seats, Congress 1, AAP 3

  EDMC (63): BJP grabs victory in 14 seats, AAP 2

• In the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, the BJP has won three wards -- Janakpuri West, Janakpuri South, and Vishnu Garden.

• In North Delhi Municipal Corporation, the BJP has won Rajinder Nagar, the AAP has won Shakurpur.

• In the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, the BJP has won two wards -- Ram Nagar and Krishna Nagar 

• Despite saying that Congress made a "reasonable comeback" in MCD polls, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken took moral responsibility for the party`s defeat and announced he was resigning from his post.

• BJP president Amit Shah says the party`s win in the Delhi civic polls was a vote in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s three years in power and a vote against the "negative politics" of the AAP. Addressing the media after the Bharatiya Janata Party was poised to sweep the Delhi civic polls, Shah says that the Delhi municipal poll win comes after the party won convincingly in the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur Assembly polls.

• Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweets: “After losing elections in 2009, the BJP specialised in EVM tampering after five years of research. On the basis of this research only, the BJP is winning elections today. The BJP did not only do research on EVM but also its leaders - GVL Narasimha Rao and Advani ji – wrote a book. The BJP leaders went to Supreme Court too. EVM tampering is such a bitter truth of democracy that it can be mocked at in the beginning, but we cannot stop speaking the truth fearing the mockery.”

• 11:20 am: EDMC Election Results (63/63): BJP ahead in 42, Congress - 07, AAP - 11, Others - 03
  NDMC Election Results (103/103): BJP - 67, Congress - 14, AAP - 17, Others - 05
  SDMC Election Results (104/104): BJP - 70, Congress - 13, AAP - 16, Others - 05

• Congress' turncoat Arvinder Singh Lovely says that it is their duty to provide a fresh Corporation to the people of Delhi based on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• Former Delhi chief minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit says the Congress did not campaign aggressively to win the civic polls and added that she had not been invited to campaign for party candidates. "We are going through a bad time. Congress did not campaign in an aggressive way. It did not do what it should have done to win the Delhi civic polls," Dikshit told media persons.

• 10:40 am: EDMC Election Results (63/63): BJP ahead in 42, Congress - 07, AAP - 11, Others - 03

  NDMC Election Results (103/103): BJP - 67, Congress - 14, AAP - 17, Others - 05
  SDMC Election Results (104/104): BJP - 70, Congress - 13, AAP - 16, Others - 05

• As the BJP was poised to sweep the civic polls, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari says Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal must resign and promised that the BJP, which has been heading the civic bodies for the past 10 years, will "clean the city in four months".

• AAP leader Ashutosh also blames the tampering of EVMs for the party`s defeat. He points to some of his government`s achievements and said the BJP-led municipal corporations had done nothing in the past 10 years. "Why would a voter choose BJP... there`s not a single achievement that the BJP can point out while it ruled the MCD," Ashutosh says, alleging: "No matter which button one presses, the vote goes in BJP`s favour."

• With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) all set to emerge victorious in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls for a third consecutive term, a poster has been put up outside the saffron party`s central office at 11, Ashoka Road, dedicating the win to the CRPF jawans, who lost their lives in Chhattisgarh`s Sukma attack.

• Union Minister and BJP leader Harsh Vardhan tweets: "when you abuse the PM, you're not abusing a political party but entire 125 crore people of the country. And this is how people reply, Mr AK."

• Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitender Singh thanks voters of Delhi, says: "BJP is the only viable option available to voter today and that is why, BJP has been given mandate at every level."

• Aam Aadmi Party leader Gopal Rai, speaking to the media after the counting trends showed the BJP making a clean sweep in the civic polls, says: "This is not a Modi wave, this is an EVM wave. This is the same wave that they (BJP) used in the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab polls."

• Senior AAP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, is at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal`s Civil Lines residence as counting trends for the Delhi Municipal Corporation polls showed the Aam Aadmi Party trailing behind the Bharatiya Janata Party.

• First results: BJP wins from Janakpuri West and Janakpuri East

• The municipal elections in Delhi were "foundational elections" for the Swaraj India Party and leaders have "zero expectations" of winning any seat, party chief Yogendra Yadav says.

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sambit Patra tweets: "Three A's which are responsible for "A"Kejriwal's loss: 1)Arrogance )Abuses & Accusations 3)Ambitions of Self over Aspirations of   Delhi"

• The BJP was leading in 182 wards, the AAP in 40, the Congress in 38, and Others in 10 wards in the Delhi civic polls.

• 8:57 am: EDMC Election Results (63/63): BJP ahead in 40, Congress - 13, AAP - 09, Others - 01
  NDMC Election Results (103/103): BJP - 72, Congress - 15, AAP - 15, Others - 01
  SDMC Election Results (104/104): BJP - 76, Congress - 15, AAP - 13, Others - 00

• Trends look in tune with what I saw during campaigning. People have faith in policies of BJP and leadership of PM Narendra Modi: Union Minister Harsh Vardhan

• 8:47 am: EDMC Election Results (60/63): BJP ahead in 38, Congress - 13, AAP - 09, Others - 0
  NDMC Election Results (98/103): BJP - 63, Congress - 22, AAP - 12, Others - 1
  SDMC Election Results (97/104): BJP - 65, Congress - 19, AAP - 10, Others - 3

• Delhi Election Commission official trends: BJP - 44, Congress - 10, AAP - 4, Independent - 1 

• 8:40 am: EDMC Election Results (57/63): BJP ahead in 40, Congress - 13, AAP - 2, Others - 2
  NDMC Election Results (93/103): BJP - 60, Congress - 22, AAP - 10, Others - 1
  SDMC Election Results (77/104): BJP - 45, Congress - 19, AAP - 10, Others - 3

• 8:35 am: EDMC Election Results (53/63): BJP ahead in 40, Congress - 9, AAP - 2, Others - 2
  NDMC Election Results (89/103): BJP - 60, Congress - 19, AAP - 9, Others - 1
  SDMC Election Results (65/104): BJP - 45, Congress - 13, AAP - 4, Others - 3

• 8:30 am: EDMC Election Results (48/63): BJP ahead in 35, Congress - 9, AAP - 2, Others - 2
  NDMC Election Results (52/103): BJP - 50, Congress - 1, AAP - 1, Others - 0
  SDMC Election Results (39/104): BJP - 25, Congress - 10, AAP - 4, Others - 0

• Bharatiya Janata Party`s Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday said he was sure his party would win the civic polls. "I am sure we will win. I have no doubt about it," Tiwari told the media, as counting of votes began. He said the BJP would make Delhi a "clean city" and free it from all sorts of diseases after the party "wins" the municipal elections.

• 8:20 am: EDMC Election Results (19/63): BJP ahead in 11, Congress - 4, AAP - 2, Others - 2
  NDMC Election Results (17/103): BJP - 15, Congress - 1, AAP - 1, Others - 0
  SDMC Election Results (19/104): BJP - 14, Congress - 1, AAP - 4, Others - 0

• 8:16 am: EDMC Election Results (63): BJP ahead in six, Congress - 0, AAP - 1
  NDMC Election Results (103): BJP - 15, Congress - 1, AAP - 1
  SDMC Election Results (104): BJP - 9, Congress - 1, AAP - 0 
  

• EDMC Election Results: BJP opens account with lead in one seat

• NDMC Election Results: BJP takes lead in three seats, Congress in 1

• SDMC Election Results: BJP ahead in two seats

• On Tuesday, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari had called Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal 'mentally sick'.

• Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari offers prayers ahead of counting of votes.

• Out of 71,39,994 total votes polled, South Delhi polled maximum 26,87,685 votes, followed by North Delhi at 26,80,011. East Delhi polled 17,72,298 votes.
  
• The high-stakes civic polls were held on April 23 which saw a voter turnout of 53.58 percent, a shade higher than in the 2012 elections.