New Delhi: It is the most interesting election that Delhi has ever seen. Hotly contested, evenly matched and unpredictable. As 1.2 crore voters of the capital-state went to the polls on Wednesday, the only thing that's certain is the uncertainty about its outcome. The outcome of Delhi polls this time will have a major impact on national politics. If Congress retains the state, it could cramp the march of a Narendra Modi-led BJP. If BJP wins, it will gain significant momentum for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. And if AAP's magic works, it will not just be the most spectacular debut by a newcomer after NTR in Andhra Pradesh, it will also announce the arrival of a new political force in India.

While it seems that the electoral discourse in Delhi has been set by AAP, it's hard to tell if it's in with a chance for victory. In the course of a day-long, stop-and-talk exercise with city voters across seven seats in south, east and central Delhi on the eve of the polls, AAP came up in the conversations repeatedly, indeed invariably. It doesn’t mean that the AAP will certainly win. In fact, many who said they were voting for it didn't seem confident about the local AAP candidate winning, while some others who extolled the party's "imaandaari" (faithfulness), admitted they wouldn't vote for it. This could be for a variety of factors from the incumbent MLA having done good work, to a lurking suspicion -- especially among the relatively older voters -- that it would be a wasted vote. But the fact is that Congress is very much in the fight, may be even leading it. In most cases, this was not because the party's image was unsullied, but because the local candidate had strong credentials.