The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leads in Delhi’s bitterly contested state election, race ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to return to power in the national capital.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP leads to 63 of the 70 seats in the assembly and the BJP in 7, said the Election Results Updates after counting of votes began at 8am Tuesday. The Congress party, which ruled Delhi for 15 years before being voted out in 2013, drew a blank.

With AAP retaining power, it is the third straight electoral setback for the BJP after losing Jharkhand and Maharashtra elections last year. Delhi recorded a voter turnout of 62.59 per cent when elections were held on Saturday, after an acrimonious campaign and with tension high after three incidents of gunfire at or near protest sites in four days.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday released its manifesto for the February 8 polls, focussing on quality education, health, clean water, and 24-hour electricity in the national capital.

Released by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as "28-point guarantee card", the manifesto promises doorstep delivery of ration, a free pilgrimage to 10 lakh senior citizens and Rs 1 crore compensation to the family of a safai karamchari if he dies on duty.

The party said its vision is to make every family prosperous and it will continue to work for full statehood to Delhi.

The manifesto also included a plan to allow markets for 24 hours under a pilot project.

Chief Election Officer Sunil Arora, on Monday, announced the Delhi election dates in a press conference. The Delhi Assembly Elections 2020 will be held on February 8 and the results will be announced on February 11.  

The CEO said that the Model Code of Conduct has been imposed with immediate effect. The last date for filing nominations is January 21 and the scrutiny of nominations would be done on January 23. The last date of withdrawal of nominations is January 23, the CEC said.

CEO Arora also said that the press conference, "We are hopeful that situation will be under control&conducive for polls. If there is an extraordinary situation, there is always an option of deferring the polls. Constitution empowers ECI to take the call."

The Election commission said that there are total electors of 1,46,92,136 in Delhi and the polling would be held at 13,750 polling stations.

The CEC also announced a new concept to allow absentee voters who are not able to come to polling stations due to physical circumstances or unavoidable reasons to vote. "PWDs and senior citizens above 80 years can either vote in person or vote through postal ballot," said CEC.

AAP's Manish Sisodia said that Arvind Kejriwal worked really hard for five years and now it is time to vote a Chief Minister who works back to power. "Free electricity, water, education, health, free bus services have affected the daily lives of people. We are waiting to work for the people for another five years," said Sisodia.

BJP's Manoj Tiwari said that the polls in Delhi will be fought on work alone. "Delhi election will be fought on basis of performance, not lies,"  said Delhi BJP Assembly poll in-charge Prakash Javadekar. CM Kejriwal said, "Yeh chunav kaam par hoga." (This election will take place over work)

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body which manages Sikh shrines, will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation following a mob attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib.

Strongly condemning the mob attack on the historic Sikh shrine, SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal on Saturday appealed to the Pakistan government to take strict action against culprits.

"We strongly condemn the attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and appeal to the Pakistan government to take stringent action against the culprits and also ensure safety of Sikhs living there," Longowal said on Saturday.

"We will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation there," he said, adding that the delegation would also meet Sikh families in Nankana Sahib.

"The delegation will also meet Pakistan's Punjab Governor and Chief Minister, he further said.

He said the delegation will comprise Rajinder Singh Mehta, Roop Singh, Surjit Singh and Rajinder Singh.

"We have spoken with the Gurdwara Nankana Sahib management committee...they told us the situation is normal now," he said.

The SGPC chief said the sentiments of the Sikh community were hurt with the attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib.

Longowal said that the SGPC would also take up this matter with the United Nations.

Punjab's former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal also condemned the attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib.

"We request the Government of India to immediately take steps so that peace and harmony is restored," he said.

A mob reportedly attacked Gurdwara Nankana Sahib where Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev was born.

Reports suggested that hundreds of angry residents at Nankana Sahib pelted the Sikh pilgrims with stones.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had on Friday expressed concern over the mob attack on the Nankana Sahib gurdwara.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today voiced concern over the new citizenship law and the government's insistence on it despite the snowballing of protests. Instead of focusing on Hindus from Pakistan, the government, he said, should "First fix own country". He also ridiculed the Centre's scale-down of the discussion on the National Register of Citizens, suggesting that the time to discuss it was now.

"Amit Shah says won't talk of NRC now. Kejriwal says - when will he talk about it then?" he said at a townhall held this afternoon.  

Referring to the contentious citizenship law, he said, "This law -- no homes, no jobs for our children, and they plan to get 2 crore Pakistani Hindus. First fix your own country. Then we will get everyone," he added amid the BJP's massive outreach campaign to dispel misconceptions about the new law across the country.

Speaking at a huge meeting in Rajasthan's Jodhpur, Union Minister Amit Shah had reiterated that there is no question of the law being withdrawn or repealed.

"What is this? So much love for Pak Hindus and what about Indian Hindus? I don't get this. Economy is down, there are no jobs. What was the need for this law," Mr Kejriwal said.

"I don't understand this law," the Chief Minister said. "Someone I met in Burari came from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh to Delhi. I asked if he has his birth certificate. He said he was born at home and all that were not there in those times. His parents do not have birth certificates either. So I said 'ab kya karoge (what will you do now?), you will have to leave the country," he added.