New Delhi: Elections to the Delhi Legislative Assembly will be held in a single phase with polling to be held on February 5, and counting on February 8, in a single phase, said Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday. The CEC also added that the byelection to two Assembly seats-- one each in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will also go to polls simultaneously.
- Notification - Jan. 10
- Last day for nominations - Jan. 17
- Scrutiny of nominations - Jan. 18
- Withdrawal of nominations - Jan. 20
- Date of poll - Feb. 5
- Date of counting - Feb. 8
The term of the 70-member Assembly ends on February 23, and elections will have to be held before that to constitute a new House.
Nearly 1.55 crore voters are eligible to vote in the Delhi elections and the number includes 71.74 lakh women and over 2 lakh first-time voters. There will be over 13,000 polling stations, Kumar said.
12 Assembly seats are reserved for the SCs in the national capital. The CEC said that due process has been followed rigorously in deletions or additions to voter lists and there is no room for any manipulation. The CEC apparently responded to the allegations of the AAP, claiming that thousands of voters were deleted and added at the behest of the BJP.
"We have created new records of voting and women participation; we will soon have a new record of one billion-plus voters," the CEC said.
Canards being spread about wrongful additions or deletions in electoral rolls to target particular groups, the CEC said.
The right to question is inherent in democracy, it's our duty to clear all doubts, the CEC said on allegations of poll process manipulation. Fifteen different parties have emerged as the single largest ones in polls across 30 states, and union territories since the Bihar state elections which were held in 2020, he said.
It is pertinent to note that the national capital has been going to elections in a single phase. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has been in power in the capital since 2015 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are trading barbs against each other while the Congress which is presently the driver of the INDIA bloc is taking on the AAP in the Delhi elections.
In the 2020 election, the AAP won 62 of the 70 seats in Delhi and went on to dominate the capital's politics for a second consecutive term. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is looking for a third consecutive term, hoping its outreach programmes would be able to find its resonance with the voters in the national capital. Also, it remains as a litmus test for the party's governance model, Arvind Kejriwal and the party's appeal to the electorate.
The Electronic Voting Machines are commissioned only 7-8 days before polling day and candidates are kept informed through their agents at every step of the process, said the CEC, in response to the allegations of the manipulation of the EVMs.
He recalled how the Courts have ruled on 42 occasions that the EVMs are not hackable and allegations of tampering totally baseless.
It is impossible to change voter turnout data and a misconceived narrative being spread on the increase of voting after 5 pm, he said, adding that "Disclosure is our main pillar, detailed guidelines and datasets available on our website".
Talking about money power, he said joint teams, shared intel, constant vigil and swift action will crack down on the use of money power. "The Union Budget will happen on February 1, and voting for Delhi Assembly will take place on February 5. We will issue a standing instruction to the Cabinet Secretary that no Delhi-specific announcement will be made in the budget which disturbs the playing level field," added Rajiv Kumar.
Meanwhile, the Chief Election Commissioner also announced that byelections to the Milkipur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh and Erode assembly seat in Tamil Nadu will be held on February 5 while the counting of votes will be taken up on February 8. The by-poll in Erode was necessitated following the demise of sitting Congress MLA and senior leader EVKS Elangovan.
The by-poll to the Milkipur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh was necessitated due to the resignation of sitting MLA Awadesh Prasad.
Union Health Minister and BJP chief JP Nadda welcomed the announcement of the Delhi Assembly polls. In a post on X, Nadda said, "I welcome the Election Commission of India's announcement of the Delhi Assembly Elections. Elections are the biggest festival of democracy. They are a medium to keep the country and the state advancing on the path of development and good governance."
I welcome the Election Commission of India's announcement of the Delhi Assembly Elections.
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) January 7, 2025
Elections are the biggest festival of democracy. They are a medium to keep the country and the state advancing on the path of development and good governance.
I urge the people of Delhi…
"I urge the people of Delhi to choose a government that focuses on improving the standard of living, combating corruption, reducing pollution and providing quality services to make everyday life easier. Under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi, the BJP government has been continuously working towards the comprehensive development of Delhi and will further our efforts to turn the dream of a 'Viksit Delhi' into a reality," added Nadda.
