Control of the assembly in New Delhi is set to change hands, a feat that eluded the Indian prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party for nearly three decades.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party won elections in the sprawling megacity of Delhi for the first time in 27 years on Saturday, defeating one of his most prominent critics in a much-needed boost after losing its national majority last year.

The BJP won 48 of the 70 seats in the capital district, well ahead of the 22 for the Aam Aadmi Party of Arvind Kejriwal, a fierce critic of Modi, Election Commission data showed.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won or is leading in 48 seats in the 70-member legislative assembly, while the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is ahead in 22 seats, according to data from the Election Commission of India (EC).

BJP polled just three per cent more votes than AAP in Delhi, which showed that “freebies are an important part of India’s political culture,” Deshmukh added, referring to AAP dangling carrots to the state’s voters.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to win 48 of the 70-member legislative assembly, where it was leading, according to the Election Commission of India’s website. BJP is reclaiming Delhi after almost three decades.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP party is set to win an election in the Delhi capital territory, TV exit polls projected on Wednesday, in a rebound after its surprisingly poor showing in a general election last year.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is pitted against the Aam Aadmi Party, led by Arvind Kejriwal, which runs Delhi and has built a vast support base on its popular welfare policies and an anti-corruption movement.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bhartiya Janata Party on Saturday regained power in the nation's capital for the first time in 27 years, a boost for the Hindu-nationalist leader after

The BJP is expected to win 48 of the 70-member legislative assembly, where it is leading, according to the Election Commission of India’s website. The party is reclaiming Delhi after almost three decades.

Votes are set to be counted in India's capital Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to stage a comeback after 27 years. Most exit polls, following the vote on Wednesday,