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Battle for Capital: AAP eyes third term; BJP, Cong look at resurgence as Delhi votes today

Battle for Capital: AAP eyes third term; BJP, Cong look at resurgence as Delhi votes today
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NEW DELHI: An intense electoral battle for the Capital is on the cards as the stage is set for the high-stakes Assembly elections in Delhi on Wednesday. Over 1.56 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots across 13,766 polling stations in all 70 Assembly constituencies.

As many as 699 candidates are locked in the electoral tussle, which will decide their fates on Wednesday when voters exercise their franchise through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

A public holiday has been declared in Delhi and Haryana on Wednesday, February 5, in the wake of voting in the Delhi Elections 2025. Delhi will vote on February 5 to elect a new Assembly. The voting will be held between 7 am and 6 pm on Wednesday.

Earlier on Sunday, the Haryana government declared a paid holiday in all public offices, academic institutions, boards, and corporations on February 5 for the Assembly election in Delhi. The holiday will allow employees of the state government who are registered voters of Delhi to exercise their franchise.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is seeking to secure a third straight term, riding on its popular welfare schemes and work done in sectors like education and health.

AAP faces a stiff challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is relying on the popularity, governance record, and image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reclaim the Capital after more than 25 years.

The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years until 2013, is striving to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two Assembly elections.

Polling will begin at 7 am on Wednesday and continue until 6 pm under tight security arrangements. The Election Commission has deployed 220 companies of paramilitary forces, 35,626 Delhi Police personnel, and 19,000 home guards 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.

According to Delhi Police, additional forces will be deployed at sensitive booths, where Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) will also be stationed to maintain law and order.

Special provisions have been made for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, with 733 polling stations designated for their accessibility.

To streamline the process, the Election Commission has introduced a Queue Management System (QMS) app, which will enable voters to check crowd levels in real time. Additionally, 6,980 out of 7,553 eligible voters under the home voting facility have already cast their ballots.

The campaigning, which officially ended at 6 pm on Monday, saw a high-octane tussle between the three main contenders.

Apart from PM Modi, the BJP also banked heavily on Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, party president JP Nadda, as well as its allies and Chief Ministers from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to woo voters. The BJP also launched an all-out attack on the Kejriwal-led AAP over corruption charges.

The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, also put up a spirited campaign, targeting both the AAP and the BJP on various issues.

The campaigning was marked by aggressive name-calling, AI-generated spoofs, and debates over issues such as the “Sheesh Mahal” controversy, Yamuna’s water quality, and allegations of voter list tampering.

While governance, law and order, and women’s welfare were focal points, freebies dominated the pre-poll promises.

AAP has pledged free bus rides for students, insurance for auto and taxi drivers, and financial aid of Rs 18,000 for temple priests and gurdwara granthis.

The BJP, on the other hand, has promised financial assistance of Rs 21,000 for pregnant women and subsidised cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500, while the Congress has vowed to provide a monthly unemployment benefit of Rs 8,500.

The poll outcome on February 8 will determine whether AAP retains its stronghold, the BJP breaks its losing streak, or the Congress springs a surprise.

In another poll-related development, Delhi Police registered an FIR on Tuesday against Chief Minister Atishi, the AAP candidate from Kalkaji, for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and obstructing public servants on duty, an official said.

Police said Atishi was with AAP supporters who allegedly obstructed an officer from performing his duty at Fateh Singh Marg. Two AAP members allegedly assaulted a police constable, they added.

Police stated that action was taken as Atishi was found at Fateh Singh Marg along with 50-70 supporters and 10 vehicles. Authorities instructed them to vacate the area as per MCC guidelines, but they obstructed an officer from carrying out his duties.

Atishi took to X to criticise the Election Commission for the police case against her. She claimed her BJP rival from Kalkaji, Ramesh Bidhuri, and his family members were openly resorting to “hooliganism,” yet no action had been taken, while a case was lodged against her.

In response, BJP leader Bidhuri said Atishi was panicking over her imminent defeat and suggested that she should not “shred the dignity” of the constitutional post she holds.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Tuesday hit back at Kejriwal, stating that it is a three-member body that has collectively noted “repeated deliberate pressure tactics” to malign the poll authority in the Delhi elections.

It asserted that an impression was being created that the EC is a single-member body. In a post on X, the EC stated that it had decided to exercise constitutional restraint, absorbing such outbursts with sagacity and not being swayed by such insinuations.

Top AAP leaders, including its convenor Arvind Kejriwal, have claimed that the EC has been ignoring the BJP’s alleged violations of the poll code. Kejriwal had alleged that CEC Rajiv Kumar was not taking action against the BJP to secure a post-retirement assignment. Kumar demits office on February 18 upon attaining the age of 65 years. Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu are the other election commissioners.

“The three-member Commission collectively noted repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign ECI in Delhi elections, as if it is a single-member body, and decided to have constitutional restraint, absorbing such outbursts with sagacity and not to be swayed by such insinuations,” the poll authority said in a rare statement.

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