Polling underway at 70 Delhi Assembly seats

New Delhi: Polling for the 70-member Delhi Assembly began on Saturday that will decide the fate of 672 candidates from the Aam Aadmi Party, BJP and Congress  in a three-cornered contest.

There are over 1.47 crore eligible voters, including 2.08 lakh first-timers, who will exercise their franchise between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The results for the elections will be announced on February 11.

Union Ministers Harsh Vardhan, S. Jaishankar and various MPs, including controversial BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Verma, were among the early voters along with their families.

While the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is making a bid to return to power, the BJP is seeking to get its chief minister in Delhi after 20 long years. The Congress, which has ruled Delhi for 15 years, is expecting a resurgence in its vote share.

Riding on tech-savvy elements like QR codes and mobile apps, poll authorities are vigilant amid tight security arrangements across the national capital with extra vigil in Shaheen Bagh — the epicentre of anti-CAA protest — and other sensitive polling areas.

The Election Commission has identified 516 locations and 3,704 polling booths as critical voting stations where paramilitary forces have been deployed. Activities at each polling stations are being monitored through webcasting.

The police have deployed around 40,000 security personnel, 19,000 home guards and 190 companies of Central Armed Police Forces to ensure smooth conduct of the polls.

 (IANS)