New Delhi, February 5 || TC - As voting for the 70-member Delhi Assembly continued on Wednesday, the city recorded a 33.31% voter turnout by 1 PM, with both young and elderly residents heading to the polls.
The polling process remained largely smooth, with the turnout rising steadily as the day transitioned from a cool morning to a warmer afternoon.
In Seelampur, however, there was a brief disturbance when a person was caught voting under someone else’s name at a polling station. The incident took place at Aryan Public School, according to Booth Level Officer Gayatri.
Allegations of poll code violations also circulated, with former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia accusing opposing parties of distributing money to voters. However, the police rejected these claims.
The voter turnout in the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections was 62.82%, a 4.65% drop from 67.47% in 2015. In 2013, the turnout had been 66.02%, which was 8.42% higher than the 57.6% recorded in 2008.
In 2020, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured 62 seats out of 70, with 53.57% of the vote share. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 8 seats with 38.51% of the votes, while Congress received just 4.26%, and other candidates garnered 3.66%.
In the 2015 elections, AAP had claimed 67 seats with a 54.34% vote share. BJP won only 3 seats, with 32.19% of the votes. Congress secured 9.65%, and other candidates got 3.82%.
By 11 AM on Wednesday, North East Delhi recorded the highest turnout at 24.87%, while New Delhi district had the lowest at 16.46%. Other districts saw varying levels of voter participation, including Shahdara at 23.30%, South West at 21.90%, and East Delhi at 20.03%. North West and South districts had a turnout of 19.75%, South East recorded 19.66%, and West Delhi had 17.67%.
Polling, which began at 7 AM, will continue until 6 PM. Security has been ramped up across the city with 220 paramilitary companies, 35,626 Delhi Police personnel, and 19,000 Home Guards deployed to ensure safety. Additionally, drone surveillance and Quick Reaction Teams are in place to maintain law and order.
These elections will determine whether the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) can maintain its hold, whether the BJP will make a comeback, or if Congress will re-establish itself as a key player. Results will be announced on February 8.
The campaign for the Delhi Assembly elections concluded on Monday at 6 PM after an intense battle. In 2020, AAP won a decisive victory with 62 seats, while BJP secured 8 seats, and Congress failed to win any seats for the second consecutive term.