Mirroring the findings of exit polls, bookies in the Capital have put their money on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the single largest party, with a hung Assembly as a high-risk bet.
The BJP continues to lead in this ‘informal’ exit poll, with big bets being placed on the party to win the elections. BJP chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan is seen as a solid bet.
According to figures shared by a bookie, the BJP is expected to get 38 seats, the Congress 21 seats and the new entrant, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), less than 5.
The figures gathered from bookies are in sharp contrast to the seat projections of three out of four exit polls, which have predicted the AAP tally to be in double digits. Sources said the rookie party’s popularity in the market dropped over the past week.
A week ago, bookies had put Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit ahead of her rivals and had priced her at 25 paisa. But her price climbed to 60 paisa after the Capital went to polls on Wednesday. The lower a candidate is priced, the more favourable are his or her chances of winning.
As for individual candidates, Urban Development Minister and Gandhi Nagar MLA Arvinder Singh is among the candidates likely to survive the anti-Congress mood and is projected to win.
“In the Trans-Yamuna area, Health Minister Dr. A.K. Walia, Gandhi Nagar MLA Arvinder Singh and Dr. Harsh Vardhan are solid candidates,” said a bookie, adding that the rates do not fluctuate but betting on these candidates will mean lower profits.
While the constituencies have different rates depending on individual candidates, in some seats such as Wazirpur in North Delhi, both the Congress candidate Hari Shanker Gupta and the BJP candidate Mahender Nagpal have equal chances of winning.
