iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Voting for the Delhi Assembly elections concluded on Wednesday at 6 pm across all 11 districts of the National Capital Territory. The Election Commission of India (ECI) confirmed that voters who were in line by the closing time were allowed to cast their ballots.
The results of the high-stakes election, a three-way contest between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Congress, will be announced on February 8, when the vote counting takes place.
Several prominent political figures exercised their right to vote, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Hardeep Singh Puri, Virendraa Sachdeva, Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi, and Manish Sisodia. Other notable figures such as President Droupadi Murmu, CDS Anil Chauhan, former President Ram Nath Kovind, former Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, and advocate Kapil Sibal also participated in the election process.
As of 5 pm, voter turnout stood at 57.70%. The North-East district recorded the highest turnout at 63.83%, while the South-East district saw the lowest at 53.77%, closely followed by New Delhi district with 54.37%. Other districts saw the following turnouts: South West (58.86%), East (58.98%), North (57.24%), North West (58.05%), Shahdara (61.35%), South (55.72%), Central (55.24%), and West (57.42%).
AAP, which is aiming for a third consecutive term, faces a strong challenge from the BJP, which is determined to reclaim power. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP’s campaign, targeting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over issues related to Yamuna water and alleged corruption. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also held rallies, accusing AAP of harming Delhi’s infrastructure.
Delhi has 15.6 million registered voters, including 8.37 million males, 7.24 million females, and 1,267 third-gender voters. The electorate also includes 239,905 first-time voters aged 18-19, 109,368 elderly voters aged 85 and above, and 79,885 persons with disabilities.
For the election, around 97,955 personnel and 8,715 volunteers were deployed, with 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), 19,000 Home Guards, and 35,626 Delhi Police personnel ensuring secure and peaceful voting.
(Photo courtesy: Screengrab from X)