Delhi Votes Underway: AAP, BJP, Congress in High-Stakes Battle

The Delhi assembly elections witness a slow voter turnout, with AAP, BJP, and Congress in a tense high-stakes battle. AAP aims for a third term, BJP seeks a comeback, and Congress strives for revival. Security is tight as 699 candidates vie for 70 seats. Voting continues amid high-profile contests.

The national capital's voter turnout was sluggish at just 8.10 per cent by 9 am during the single-phase Delhi assembly elections, according to the Election Commission of India. Notably, the North East district led with a turnout of 10.70 per cent, trailed by the South West district at 9.34 per cent.

In contrast, the New Delhi district reported an even lower turnout of 6.51 per cent. Other districts followed suit with Central at 6.67 per cent, East at 8.21 per cent, North at 7.12 per cent, North West at 7.66 per cent, Shahdara at 8.92 per cent, South at 8.43 per cent, South East at 8.36 per cent, and West at 6.76 per cent.

The voter engagement was more proactive in the Milkipur constituency of Uttar Pradesh, which reached a turnout of 13.34 per cent in its bye-elections, whereas Erode (East) in Tamil Nadu recorded 10.95 per cent. The polling involves all 70 Delhi assembly seats, plus by-polls in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, beginning promptly at 7 am, with voters casting votes amid stringent security measures.

Prominent Delhi constituencies in this high-stakes election include New Delhi, Jangpura, Kalkaji, and Greater Kailash, among others. AAP hopes to secure a third term, BJP aims to regain control after a long hiatus, and Congress seeks resurgence after recent electoral setbacks. 699 candidates are vying across the national capital's assembly seats.

Significant electoral battles occur in New Delhi, with AAP's Arvind Kejriwal, BJP's Parvesh Verma, and Congress's Sandeep Dikshit contending for dominance. In Jangpura, AAP's Manish Sisodia is challenged by Congress's Farhad Suri and BJP's Tarvinder Singh Marwah. The Milkipur contest in Uttar Pradesh pits Samajwadi Party's Ajit Prasad against BJP's Chandrabhanu Paswan, with results expected on February 8.

(With inputs from agencies.)