LIVE | BJP set to win Delhi after 27 years, say most exit polls
Delhi records a voter turnout of 57.7 per cent till 5 pm amid allegations of bogus voting and cash distribution; 2 detained for alleged bogus voting
As voting for the Delhi Assembly elections concluded on Wednesday (February 5), almost all exit polls, barring two, have projected a BJP comeback in Delhi after 27 years.
While the AAP is predicted to give the saffron party a fight, the Congress seems nowhere in the picture, going by the exit polls. Two exit polls have predicted an AAP win.
Voter turnout
Till 5 pm on Wednesday, the Election Commission recorded a voter turnout of about 57.7 per cent across the national capital's 70 assembly constituencies.
Also read: ‘AAP-da’: Day before Delhi voting, Modi targets Kejriwal in Parliament
The ruling AAP and BJP were engaged in an intense blame game for the better part of the day, with both sides alleging voting malpractices in different constituencies. However, the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi told news agency PTI around noon that the polling process was going on "smoothly".
Polling began at 7 am on Wednesday. Till 5 pm, the highest turnout was recorded in the Northeast district at 63.83 per cent, while the New Delhi district recorded the lowest at 54.37 per cent. Among other constituencies, Mustafabad had the highest turnout at 66.68 per cent while Karol Bagh recorded the lowest at 47.40 per cent.
Shahdara recorded a turnout of 61.35 per cent, Southwest Delhi 58.86 per cent, Northwest Delhi 58.05 per cent, North Delhi 57.24 per cent, Central Delhi district 55.24 per cent, Southeast Delhi 53.77 per cent, according to the EC data.
Also read: On poll eve, Kejriwal meets EC, claims Delhi Police intimidated voters
High-profile voters
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Union ministers S Jaishankar and Hardeep Singh Puri, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal were among the early voters.
The counting of votes will take place on Saturday (February 8).
Bypolls in Erode, Milkipur
Voting was also held for the bypolls to the Erode East Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu and Milkipur in Uttar Pradesh. The constituencies registered about 64 and 65 per cent turnouts, respectively, by 5 pm.
In Erode East, the battle is largely confined between the ruling DMK and actor-politician Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK). In the Scheduled Castes (SC)-reserved Milkipur, the main contest is expected to be between Samajwadi Party’s Ajit Prasad and the BJP’s Chandrabhanu Paswan.
Live Updates
- 5 Feb 2025 2:31 AM GMT
Delhi on high alert, over 30,000 police personnel deployed
Delhi is on high alert for the assembly polls on Wednesday with over 30,000 police personnel and 220 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed across the national capital for peaceful elections.
The voting for the high-stakes Assembly elections began, with the Aam Aadmi Party eyeing a third straight term, banking on its governance record and welfare schemes, while the BJP and the Congress look at resurgence.
There are over 1.56 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots from 7 am onwards on Wednesday.
Voting will be taking place across 13,766 polling stations in all the 70 Assembly constituencies to decide the fates of 699 candidates in a contest that could reshape the political landscape of the capital.
Nearly 3,000 polling booths have been identified as sensitive, and special security arrangements, including drone surveillance, Quick Reaction Team, Striking Team and one company of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed to maintain law and order.
"All Delhi Police personnel are committed to ensuring free, fair, and peaceful elections. The pre-poll arrangements have already been done and all the senior staff of the Delhi Police are on the ground to ensure peaceful election," Special Commissioner of Police (SPNO Delhi Assembly Elections) Devesh Chandra Srivastva said.
He said that 220 companies of paramilitary forces out of which 150 companies of CAPF and 70 companies of 10 different states, along with over 30,000 police personnel, 9,000 Home Guards, and all the senior police officers of Delhi Police have been deployed.
Srivastva said that robust security arrangements are in place across the national capital.
He said all the 65 border points that Delhi shares with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have already been sealed and heavy deployment of security has been put in place.
He said that from January 7 to February 3, the Delhi Police has recorded 1,076 cases of alleged MCC violations and arrested or detained 34,250 people for it.
"These are cases lodged between January 7, when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force, and February 3 which was the last day of campaigning for the Delhi Assembly polls. Our teams have also confiscated 469 illegal firearms and 513 cartridges with 491 people arrested under the Arms Act," said the Special CP.
Police have also seized 1,10,093 litres of liquor and 1,381 people were arrested for it. He said that due to strict vigil, police seized 196.602 kg of drugs worth over Rs 77.9 crore and more than 1,200 banned injections were also seized and arrested 177 people for it.
- 5 Feb 2025 2:22 AM GMT
Case against AAP's Amanatullah Khan
According to an NDTV report, a case has been filed against AAP's Amanatullah Khan over alleged poll code violation.
