Voters in Delhi are casting their ballots today in a crucial Assembly election that will decide whether the ruling Aam Aadmi Party secures a third consecutive term, the Bharatiya Janata Party reclaims power after over two decades, or the Congress makes an unexpected comeback.
The election is being held under tight security, with over 1.56 crore voters set to decide the fate of 699 candidates across 70 constituencies.
Polling began at 7 am, with long queues forming outside several booths. The election follows a heated campaign where issues like governance, corruption allegations, voter list tampering, and law and order took centre stage. The counting of votes is scheduled for February 8.
The AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, is banking on its governance record and welfare schemes to retain power. The party has promised free bus rides for students, insurance for auto and taxi drivers, and a monthly financial aid of ₹18,000 for temple priests and gurdwara granthis. The party’s campaign was spearheaded by Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi, who led rallies across the city.
The BJP has put up a determined fight, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and party president JP Nadda leading an aggressive campaign. The party has focused on attacking the AAP over allegations of corruption, misgovernance, and law and order failures.
The liquor policy scam and alleged misuse of government funds for personal luxuries were key issues in the BJP's campaign. The party has promised ₹21,000 financial assistance for pregnant women and subsidised LPG cylinders at ₹500.
The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, has tried to revive its presence in the national capital. The party has struggled in Delhi since 2013, failing to win a single seat in the last two Assembly elections. It has promised ₹8,500 as a monthly unemployment benefit if voted to power.
One of the most closely watched contests is in the New Delhi Assembly seat, where Arvind Kejriwal faces BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit.
In Kalkaji, Chief Minister Atishi is in a tough fight against BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress’ Alka Lamba. Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who has shifted from Patparganj to Jangpura, is up against BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah and Congress’ Farhad Suri.
AAP first came to power in December 2013 with Congress’ support but resigned after just 49 days, citing an inability to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill.
In the 2015 and 2020 elections, AAP secured landslide victories, winning 67 and 62 seats respectively, while the BJP was reduced to single digits and the Congress failed to win any seats.
Security has been intensified across the city to ensure smooth voting. The Election Commission has deployed 220 companies of paramilitary forces, 35,626 Delhi Police personnel, and 19,000 home guards.
Nearly 3,000 polling booths have been identified as sensitive, with special security measures including drone surveillance in place.
As polling continues through the day, political analysts predict a high voter turnout could determine the outcome. The results on February 8 will reveal whether AAP retains its dominance, BJP ends its long wait for a comeback, or Congress stages a surprising revival in the national capital.
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