Voting for the Delhi Assembly elections has commenced. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is contesting against BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit from New Delhi Assembly constituency.
President Droupadi Murmu has cast her vote at a polling booth in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked voters of Delhi that they must cast their valuable votes in the elections. In a post on X, he urged voters to participate in the festival of democracy with enthusiasm.
Over 1.5 crore voters of Delhi are eligible to vote today, to elect their next government. While the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is seeking a third consecutive term, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress would hope for a comeback in the national capital.
Polling started at 7 am across 13,766 polling stations and will continue until 6 pm. In the 70 Assembly constituencies, 699 candidates are in fray.
Appealing to voters to exercise their ballot, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said ,“My dear brothers and sisters of Delhi. I appeal to all of you to go and vote today. Every vote you give to Congress will protect your rights, strengthen the Constitution and put Delhi back on the path of progress.”
“While voting, remember who is responsible for polluted air, dirty water, and broken roads. Who committed the biggest scam in Delhi while talking about doing clean politics?,” Gandhi wrote in a post on X.
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi wrote in a post on X, “Today’s election in Delhi is not just an election, it is a religious war. This is a battle between good and evil. It’s a battle between work and hooliganism. I appeal to all the people of Delhi to cast their vote. Vote for work, vote for goodness. Truth will prevail.” She appealed to voters and asked them to exercise their franchise.
CM Atishi is pitted against BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress’s Alka Lamba in Kalkaji.
A total of 733 polling stations have been designated for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Additionally, 6,980 out of 7,553 eligible voters under the home voting facility have already cast their ballots.
The Election Commission has also deployed a Queue Management System (QMS) app, which will enable the voters to check real-time crowds at booths.
At least 220 companies of paramilitary forces, 35,626 Delhi Police personnel, and 19,000 home guards have been deployed by the Election Commission to ensure peaceful voting.
Nearly 3,000 polling booths have been identified as sensitive, and special security arrangements, including drone surveillance, have been made at some of these locations.
Additional police forces will be deployed for the sensitive booths where Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) will also be stationed to maintain law and order.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal asked people to vote, stating that it is the foundation for their children’s bright future.
Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena exercised his franchise and stated that “Pollution is a big issue, garbage mountains are a big issue, cleaning of Yamuna is a big issue. There are many issues that I think the public will have to keep in mind. I am sure people are voting keeping all these issues in mind.”
The results of the Delhi Assembly elections will be announced on February 8.
