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 1:43 AM GMT
AAP to deploy teams at booths to detect anomalies, foul ploy
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has formed a team of volunteers to verify polling booth setups, cross-check presiding officer details, and monitor the Control Unit ID on polling day.
In a statement, AAP said, "The party will deploy its trained volunteers to verify voting procedures, check for irregularities, and remain vigilant against any potential tampering." The party said the volunteers have been trained to verify booth details, confirm the assigned presiding officers, and keep track of the total votes cast to ensure accuracy.
The volunteers will also monitor the battery percentage of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at the end of polling to detect any anomalies and record the presence of party polling agents to maintain accountability, it said.
The AAP will launch a web portal where all this data will be uploaded on Wednesday night, after the polling is over.
The counting of votes for the Delhi Assembly polls will be carried out on Saturday.
- 5 Feb 2025 1:36 AM GMT
PM Modi urges voters to participate in 'festival of democracy'
PM Narendra Modi's post in Hindi on X, "Voting for all the seats in the Delhi Assembly elections will be held today. I urge the voters here to participate in this festival of democracy with full enthusiasm and cast their valuable vote. On this occasion, my special wishes to all the young friends who are going to vote for the first time. Remember - first vote, then refreshment!"
- 5 Feb 2025 1:35 AM GMT
Kejriwal booked in Haryana for his 'poison in Yamuna' remark
A case has been registered Haryana's Kurukshetra district against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in connection with his "poison in Yamuna" remark on Tuesday.
As per the FIR, the case has been registered against the former Delhi chief minister and other unknown members of the Aam Aadmi Party at Shahabad police station on a complaint filed by Kurukshetra resident and advocate Jagmohan Manchanda on Tuesday.
Kejriwal has been under fire from the BJP for his "poison in Yamuna" remark with the saffron party leaders criticising him for his "irresponsible" statement.
