Authorities have heightened security measures as the vote counting for the 70-member Delhi Legislative Assembly is set to begin on Saturday. Visuals from various counting centers in Delhi showed security personnel stationed to ensure smooth proceedings.
Meanwhile, exit polls have projected a decisive victory for the BJP, with AAP trailing behind and Congress continuing its weak performance. However, AAP leaders have dismissed these projections, stating that exit polls have historically underestimated their party’s performance. They expressed confidence in securing another term in office.
Key constituencies include New Delhi, where AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is contesting against Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit and BJP’s Parvesh Verma. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is up against BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress candidate Alka Lamba. The campaign witnessed intense exchanges between the three major political parties.
Amid the election process, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi refuted allegations made by AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal, who claimed that the Election Commission (EC) had not provided booth-wise voting data for the assembly constituencies. The EC clarified that all provisions under the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, had been strictly followed at every polling station.
“As per Rule 49S of the Conduct of Election Rules 1961, all Presiding Officers furnished the account of votes recorded in Form 17C to every Polling Agent present at the polling station on the day of polling, February 5, 2025,” the Delhi CEO’s office posted on X (formerly Twitter).
On Friday, Kejriwal accused the EC of refusing to upload Form 17C, which details booth-wise total votes polled in each assembly constituency. “EC has refused to upload Form 17C and the number of votes polled per booth in each assembly despite several requests. Aam Aadmi Party has made a website, where we have uploaded all the Form 17C records of every assembly,” Kejriwal wrote on X.
According to Rule 49S(1) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, “The presiding officer shall at the close of the poll prepare an account of votes recorded in Form 17C and enclose it in a separate cover with the words ‘Account of votes recorded’ superscribed thereon.”
The second part of Rule 49S states that the presiding officer must provide a copy of Form 17C to every polling agent present at the polling station.
“The presiding officer shall furnish every polling agent present at the close of the poll a true copy of the entries made in Form 17C after obtaining a receipt from the said polling agent therefor and shall attest it as a true copy,” reads Rule 49S(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
As the counting process unfolds, authorities remain vigilant to ensure a fair and transparent election outcome.