New Delhi, February 5: Voting in 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 still permitted to cast their ballots.
The results of the highly contested election, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Congress in a three-way race, will be announced on February 8, following the vote count.
Several prominent political figures, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Hardeep Singh Puri, Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi, Manish Sisodia, and others, participated in the voting process. High-profile figures like President Droupadi Murmu, CDS Anil Chauhan, former President Ram Nath Kovind, former Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, and advocate Kapil Sibal also exercised their right to vote.
As of 5 pm, the voter turnout stood at 57.70%, with the North-East district registering the highest turnout of 63.83%. The South-East district recorded the lowest turnout at 53.77%, slightly behind New Delhi, which saw a turnout of 54.37%.
Other district turnouts included: 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%).
The AAP, seeking a third consecutive term, is facing stiff competition from the BJP, which is determined to regain power. BJP’s campaign, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has focused on attacking Kejriwal over issues such as Yamuna water quality and corruption. On the other hand, Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has criticized AAP for allegedly damaging Delhi’s infrastructure.
Delhi has 1,56,14,000 registered voters, including 83,76,173 males, 72,36,560 females, and 1,267 third-gender voters. The electorate also includes 2,39,905 first-time voters aged 18-19, 1,09,368 elderly voters aged 85 and above, and 79,885 persons with disabilities.
To ensure a smooth election process, approximately 97,955 personnel and 8,715 volunteers were deployed. Security was strengthened with the deployment of 220 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), 19,000 Home Guards, and 35,626 Delhi Police personnel.