Delhi held elections for its 70 Assembly seats, but voting started slowly. Tensions grew between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Both sides accused each other of voter fraud and distributing cash at polling stations, making the situation more heated.
A fierce three-way contest
The election is a tough competition between three main political parties: AAP, which wants to stay in power for a third time; BJP, which wants to remove AAP from government; and Congress, which hopes to make a comeback. Over 1.56 crore eligible voters are choosing from 699 candidates in all 70 areas.
The election is being held with strong security after a very active campaign. The main topics being discussed are the government’s performance, corruption, safety, and issues with voter lists. The parties also made promises like free transport and financial support.
Allegations and confrontations
There were several claims of cheating and wrong actions on election day. In Jangpura, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said the Delhi Police did not stop cash from being given to influence voters. At the same time, the BJP accused AAP of cheating in Seelampur, claiming women in burqas were voting illegally. The Delhi Police denied these claims and said the confusion in Seelampur was because two voters had similar names and addresses.
In Chirag Delhi, there was an argument between a senior police officer and Delhi’s Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj over road blockages. Despite these issues, the police assured everyone that voting would go on without problems.
Slow voting and campaign promises
Voting started slowly and remained slow even after six hours. By 1 p.m., only 33.3% of people had voted. In this tense situation, each party made promises to attract voters. AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, promised things like free bus rides for students, insurance for auto and taxi drivers, and Rs 18,000 in monthly help for temple priests and gurdwara granthis.
The BJP, trying to take back control of Delhi after 25 years, promised Rs 21,000 for pregnant women and cheaper LPG cylinders at Rs 500. Congress, which has not won a seat in the last two elections, promised Rs 8,500 as monthly unemployment benefits.
As the campaign was about to end, AAP accused the BJP-led Haryana government of "poisoning Yamuna water," which caused a strong reaction from the BJP.
Key candidates and past election results
Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of AAP, is running for the New Delhi seat against BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit. In Kalkaji, Chief Minister Atishi is facing tough competition from BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress’ Alka Lamba. Manish Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister, who has been moved from Patparganj to Jangpura, is contesting against BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah and Congress’ Farhad Suri.
AAP first came to power in Delhi in December 2013 with support from Congress. However, Kejriwal resigned after just 49 days. In the 2015 and 2020 elections, AAP won big, securing 67 and 62 seats, while the BJP was left with only a few seats. Congress didn’t win any seats in those elections.
For the elections, tight security has been set up in Delhi. The Election Commission has sent 220 paramilitary forces, 35,626 Delhi Police officers, and 19,000 home guards. Around 3,000 polling booths are considered sensitive and are being closely monitored, including with drones.
The votes will be counted on February 8, and people are eager to see if AAP will stay in power or if the BJP will make a comeback.