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Delhi Assembly Election 2020: 54.65% voter turnout recorded as polling in 70 seats concludes

Delhi is witnessing a triangular fight involving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Delhi Assembly Election 2020: 54.65% voter turnout recorded as polling in 70 seats concludes

People queue at a polling station to cast their votes during the Legislative Assembly elections in New Delhi on February 8, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

Delhi is going to polls in all its 70 constituencies today.

The national capital is witnessing a triangular fight involving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

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The counting of votes will take place on February 11 and the results will be declared on the same day.

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In the last election, AAP bagged 67 out of 70 seats and is aiming to grab more breaking its last term’s record.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party in January announced the list of all 70 candidates for the elections, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal contesting again from New Delhi seat and his deputy Manish Sisodia again in the fray from Patparganj.

The party has dropped 15 of its sitting MLAs and added 24 new faces in total, including unsuccessful 2019 Lok Sabha candidates Atishi, Dilip Pandey and Raghav Chadha.

All the ministers, including Sisodia, are also re-contesting from their respective seats as well as Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goyal (Shahdara) and Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla (Mangol Puri).

Eight women candidates have been given the opportunity this time.

Besides replacing 15 sitting MLAs, the party has fielded new candidates on four Assembly constituencies held by BJP and five seats which fell vacant after the sitting MLAs were disqualified over defection.

The Congress has fielded Romesh Sabharwal against Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi constituency.

The BJP has pitted state Yuva Morcha President Sunil Yadav against the Chief Minister.

Former AAP minister Kapil Mishra, who joined the BJP last year, will contest from Model Towan constituency. Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Vijendra Gupta will contest from the Rohini seat.

The BJP has left three seats for its alliance partners JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).

The JD(U) will contest from Burari and Sangam Vihar constituencies while LJP will fight from the Seemapuri seat.

The Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, on Monday reviewed the preparedness for the Assembly polls along with Delhi Chief Secretary, Police Commissioner and other senior officials.

The CEC stressed on preventing illegal movement of cash, liquor, arms and anti-social elements.

The Commission also emphasised on the need to take strict action against intimidators and violators of law, enforcement of preventive action be done promptly to ensure smooth movement near all polling stations, and maintain peace to ensure free and fair polls.

It advised the officers concerned to ensure due facilitation of cashless treatment, if required, to security forces deployed on election duty.

Campaigning for the high-voltage Assembly election in Delhi ended on Thursday evening with leaders of all the three major political parties — AAP, BJP and Congress leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters.

The poll body has placed five polling stations in the Shaheen Bagh area under the critical category. Two incidents of shooting have been reported from the site in January.

Shaheen Bagh has emerged as an epicentre of the anti-CAA protest in the national capital where the protesters are sitting since December 15 demanding the Central government to withdraw the law.

A total of 672 candidates are in the fray for the keenly watched battle of the national capital. Of them, 79 (12%), are women, up from 66 in the previous assembly elections.

Over 14.7 million voters are eligible to exercise their franchise.

At 6.6 million, women make up 45% of the total Delhi electorate. More than 200,000 youngsters, aged between 18 and 19 years, will also be exercising their franchise, alongside 690 voters aged 100 years or above.

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