Campaigning for Delhi Assembly elections ends, Voting on Feb 5



04/02/2025
NEW DELHI, Feb 3: The high-decibel election campaign for the Delhi Assembly elections, which lasted for nearly a month with rallies, street meetings, and public gatherings by prominent political parties and candidates, came to an end on Monday evening at 5 PM.
Voting for the 70-seat Delhi Assembly will take place on Wednesday, February 5, while the results will be announced on February 8.
A total of 699 candidates are contesting this time. Throughout the campaign, the three major parties- the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Congress Party-engaged in fierce attacks against each other, making several promises to woo Delhi voters.
With public rallies and vehicle-based campaigns prohibited 48 hours before voting, candidates and party workers have now shifted their focus to door-to-door outreach and using mobile apps and telecommunication methods to seek support.
This Delhi Assembly election is being seen as a referendum on the governance model of the ruling AAP and its leader, Arvind Kejriwal. While AAP is striving to retain power for the third consecutive term, the BJP is making a strong attempt to end its 26-year-long wait to return to power. Congress, on the other hand, is pushing hard to regain control of Delhi after 12 years.
During the campaign, the BJP launched a strong attack on AAP, focusing on the expenses incurred on Mr. Kejriwal's official residence. The BJP made it a major election issue, branding it as the "Sheesh Mahal" (Glass Palace) controversy. Additionally, the BJP highlighted issues like the cleaning of the Yamuna River and the alleged liquor scam, accusing AAP of opening liquor shops instead of schools.
To oust AAP from power, the BJP deployed 40 star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President J.P. Nadda, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Mr. Modi addressed three election rallies in Delhi, urging people to remove "AAP-da" (a play on words combining AAP and disaster) and bring the BJP to power.
On the last day of the campaign, the BJP held 22 rallies and roadshows, while AAP organized nine. AAP's campaign was led by Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Sanjay Singh, and other senior leaders, while BJP's top leadership, including Mr. Nadda and Mr. Shah, appealed to voters to support BJP for Delhi's development.
Congress, on the other hand, reminded voters of the developmental works done during Sheila Dikshit's tenure and raised issues like poor road conditions, water, electricity, and education. The party also promised to address unemployment and inflation.
According to Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), 1.56 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes on February 5 at 13,766 polling stations. Among them, 83.76 lakh are male voters, 72.36 lakh are female voters, and 1,267 belong to the third gender. To facilitate voting, 733 polling stations have been designated for differently-abled voters.
The Election Commission has also directed Uttar Pradesh and Haryana authorities to close liquor shops in areas bordering Delhi until 6 PM on February 5.
For the first time in India, the Election Commission has introduced a "Queue Management System" (QMS) application. Through the "Delhi Election-2025 QMS" app, voters can check real-time crowd levels at polling stations before heading to vote.
Under the home voting facility for senior citizens and differently-abled voters, 6,980 out of 7,553 eligible voters have already cast their ballots. This service began on January 24 and will continue until February 4.
To ensure free and fair elections, around 220 companies of paramilitary forces, 19,000 home guards, and 35,626 Delhi Police personnel will be deployed.
Additionally, 21,584 ballot units, 20,692 control units, and 18,943 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, including provisions for dummy and Braille ballots, have been prepared.
It is to be noted that in the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP secured 62 seats, while BJP won 8 seats. Congress, for the second consecutive time, failed to win any seat.
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