New Delhi (India), February 5: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha on Wednesday raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the New Delhi assembly constituency during the ongoing Delhi Assembly elections. He claimed that security personnel deployed outside polling stations were preventing relievers from entering the booths, which could potentially affect the transparency and fairness of the election process.
Chadha stated that multiple complaints had been received from various polling booths in the New Delhi constituency, with relievers being barred from entering. “Both the reliever and the polling agent are given the status of polling agent. But such complaints are coming from many places in New Delhi assembly constituency. In almost half the booths, this complaint is coming that the reliever is not being allowed to go inside,” he said, expressing concerns about whether the voting process was being properly monitored and whether there could be any tampering with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Emphasizing the need for free and fair elections, Chadha added that the party had been in contact with the District Election Officer, requesting that relievers be allowed access to polling booths. The party has also submitted formal complaints to the Chief Election Commissioner of India, the Chief Election Officer of Delhi, and the District Magistrate of New Delhi.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged that the Delhi Police were attempting to stop voters from casting their votes in Chirag Delhi by setting up barricades. Bhardwaj claimed that the police were interfering with the electoral process across multiple polling booths in the area. However, South Delhi DCP Ankit Chauhan assured that the police would investigate the allegations.
In another incident, AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that one of the party’s new members, Uday Gill, had been detained by the police “without any reason.” Singh confirmed that he was present at the Mandir Marg police station, seeking clarification. However, the official handle of DCP New Delhi responded, stating that Gill had been detained for attempting to forcibly influence voters to support a particular political party.
Amid these concerns, the voting process for the 70 assembly seats in Delhi continued under tight security, with the election set to conclude on February 8 with the counting of votes.