Synopsis
As of 3 p.m. on February 5, the voter turnout in the Delhi Assembly elections reached 46.55%. The elections were largely peaceful, with a few incidents of attempted fraudulent voting reported. Key constituencies showed varying turnout percentages, with Mustafabad leading at 56.12%. AAP's past performance indicates a strong foothold in the region.Key Takeaways
- 46.55% turnout recorded till 3 p.m.
- Incidents of bogus voting reported.
- Mustafabad led with 56.12% turnout.
- AAP won 62 seats in 2020.
- Overall turnout lower than previous elections.
New Delhi, Feb 5 (NationPress) The turnout for the Delhi Assembly election reached 46.55 per cent by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, with voting occurring across 70 seats in a largely peaceful manner, as reported by an official.
A brief disturbance was reported at a polling station in Seelampur, where a fraudulent voter was apprehended attempting to cast a ballot using another person's identity. This incident took place at Aryan Public School, as stated by Booth Level Officer Gayatri.
The BJP candidate for the seat, Anil Gaur, accused the opposition parties, Congress and AAP, of transporting 300-400 counterfeit voters from neighboring Uttar Pradesh.
D.C. Srivastava, the Special Commissioner of Police, confirmed the receipt of complaints regarding attempts at fraudulent voting. "Two individuals have been detained on accusations of bogus voting. The situation is under investigation," he said.
As of 3 p.m., the Mustafabad constituency reported the highest voter turnout at 56.12 per cent, followed closely by Seelampur at 54.29 per cent.
The New Delhi constituency, represented by AAP convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saw a turnout of 44.83 per cent by 3 p.m., while the Delhi Cantonment seat recorded 45.90 per cent.
Constituencies such as Atishi’s seat noted a turnout of 41.17 per cent, and Manish Sisodia’s Jungpura seat saw 44.07 per cent.
Other turnout statistics by 3 p.m. included: Sangam Vihar 48.95 per cent, Badarpur 44.79 per cent, Tughlakabad 44.20 per cent, Okhla 42.70 per cent, Kasturba Nagar 41 per cent, Malviya Nagar 41.77 per cent, Chhatarpur 50.08 per cent, Ambedkar Nagar 45.50 per cent, Deoli 44.98 per cent, and Mehrauli 40.34 per cent.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and AAP Jangpura candidate Manish Sisodia alleged that rival parties were bribing voters, a claim dismissed by the police as "unsubstantiated".
His party colleague and AAP MP Raghav Chadha reported that at numerous polling booths in New Delhi, the party’s polling agents encountered difficulties gaining access.
Earlier, former Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and his wife opted to walk to their polling site, assisting their parents, both in wheelchairs, to the booth located at a school near their Ferozeshah Road home.
Parvesh Verma, Kejriwal’s BJP opponent, performed religious rituals by the Yamuna river before casting his vote alongside his wife and daughter at the Nirman Bhawan polling station.
Congress candidate from New Delhi Sandeep Dikshit voted at a booth on Rahim Khan Road and later accompanied party voters and members of the Gandhi family – Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra – to their respective polling locations.
In comparison, the turnout during the 2020 Delhi Assembly election was 62.82 per cent, which is 4.65 per cent lower than the 67.47 per cent recorded in 2015. In 2013, the turnout was 66.02 per cent, which is 8.42 per cent higher than the 57.6 per cent seen in 2008.
In the 2020 election, AAP secured 62 out of 70 seats with a 53.57 per cent vote share. The BJP won 8 seats with a 38.51 per cent vote share, while Congress obtained 4.26 per cent and others received 3.66 per cent.
