Residents of the national capital enthusiastically stepped out of their homes on Wednesday to celebrate the festival of democracy and exercise their franchise to elect their representatives for the Delhi legislative assembly.

Filled with energy to decide the city’s future, voters began reaching their respective polling stations starting from the early morning as polling commenced across 13,766 polling booths in the national capital for the 70-seat assembly.

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People made their way to polling centres at 7 am, with many first-time voters wearing vibrancy on their faces and smiles in their eyes.

Senior citizens were also seen walking to polling stations to cast their votes, with many arriving with friends and families to exercise their voting rights.

The polling stations witnessed an increase in voters as the day progressed, with people standing in queues, eagerly waiting to cast their votes, especially in areas with higher population density.

Speaking to the media after casting his vote, a first-time voter expressed excitement about exercising his right for the first time, noting the responsibility and power a vote holds in determining the type of government to be formed.

He said that one must vote responsibly, and be at least somewhat informed about the candidate they are voting for.

Similarly, a voter from Karol Bagh, exiting a polling station, said that the Election Commission had made proper arrangements to ensure the voting process went smoothly and voters faced no inconvenience.

One thing that was clearly visible was the spirit of togetherness and a sense of community work, as people helped each other and shared positive gestures while stepping out to vote.

People were seen assisting each other with directions to polling booths, addressing small voting queries, and helping the elderly and first-time voters through the polling process.

Some of them even helped their neighbours, especially senior citizens, and drove them to the polling stations so that they could cast their mandate.

Some expressed that they shared positive gestures and greeted even those from the same localities with whom they rarely interacted on a day-to-day basis.

People said that the sense of being easily recognised made them feel touched.

Coming from different walks of life, people stood together in queues, waiting for their turn to vote and engaged in conversations about their constituency while sharing small gestures.

Many voters, after casting their votes, said they were heading to restaurants to eat with friends and families, mentioning that discounts were being offered to those with inked fingers as an incentive to encourage people to vote.

Several people said that they were heading for their businesses after voting and appreciated that the poll day wasn’t on a Saturday or Sunday, as it could have impacted voter turnout and enthusiasm.

The police and the administration were seen assisting voters in every possible way to ensure they faced no difficulties, while polling proceeded smoothly.