Over 1.55 crore people in Delhi to vote on Feb 5: EC

Over 1.55 crore Delhi residents voters will vote in the upcoming Assembly election on February 5 and the votes will be counted on February 8, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Jan 7.

Delhi has 70 Assembly constituencies, and a dozen of them are reserved. A total of 13,033 polling stations will host the election for choosing members of the eighth Delhi Assembly.

According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, the polling will be held in a single phase. The last date to file nominations is Jan 17 and withdraw candidates is Jan 20. With the announcement of the schedule, the model code of conduct is now in force in the national capital.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said over 2 lakh youngsters will vote for the first time in this election. Announcing several initiatives to make the voting experience smooth, the poll body said arrangements would be made for the elderly and persons with disabilities to access polling booths without difficulty. It also said those above 85 years can cast their vote at home.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal asked party workers to go all-out in their preparations. "Even the biggest systems fail before your passion. You are our greatest strength. This is an election between the politics of work and the politics of abuses. We will surely win," he said in a post on X.

Addressing a press conference, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said February 5 will be an important day as more than 1.55 crore voters will decide the future of Delhi.

"On February 5, 1 crore 55 lakh 24 thousand 858 voters will cast their votes to build a new Delhi, a better Delhi, and a beautiful Delhi," he said.

Sachdeva exuded confidence that the result on February 8 would pave the way for a "double-engine government" of the BJP in Delhi under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The lotus (BJP's election symbol) will bloom here," he added.

The CEC also dismissed allegations of manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).

He said EVMs are tamper-proof and hacking them is impossible. "EVMs are not hackable. Every claim of manipulation has been thoroughly investigated and debunked. This technology has consistently upheld the principles of free and fair elections," Kumar told reporters.

The poll body also responded to allegations of manipulation of voter lists. Both the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Patry (BJP) have accused each other of getting names added and deleted from voter lists to boost poll prospects. Kumar said the Election Commission rigorously follows due process for any change in voter lists.

While the AAP is pushing hard for a third consecutive term in this election, the Opposition BJP has gone all out to turn the tables. Also in the fight is the Congress, which is going alone and targeting both the BJP and the AAP — its ally during the Lok Sabha polls.