Vote counting is underway in high-stakes state election in the New Delhi region

NEW DELHI — Vote counting started early Saturday in the high-stakes state legislature election in India's federal territory, including New Delhi, with TV exit polls predicting a win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist party.

Over 60% of more than 15 million eligible people voted to elect the local government on Wednesday.

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party was projected to win a majority in the 70-member assembly of India's capital against the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, which runs New Delhi and has built widespread support with its welfare policies and anti-corruption movement.

The early counting trends indicated that the BJP was ahead of the AAP in over 40 seats. Modi's party hasn't won the territory that includes India's capital of 20 million people in over a quarter-century.

Exit polls, however, have a patchy record in India owing to diverse voting population.

The BJP failed to secure a majority on its own in last year's national election but formed the government with coalition partners. It has gained some lost ground by winning two state elections in northern Haryana and western Maharashtra states.

Ahead of this election, both Modi and Kejriwal offered to revamp government schools and provide free health services and electricity, along with a monthly stipend of over 2,000 rupees ($25) to poor women.

Modi's party has hoped to benefit after the recent federal budget slashed income taxes on the salaried middle class, one of its key voting blocs.

The AAP won 62 out of 70 seats in a landslide victory in the last state legislature election in 2020. leaving the BJP with eight and the Congress party with none.

The BJP was voted out of power in Delhi in 1998 by the Congress party, which ran the government for 15 years.