Voting begins for high-stakes Delhi polls; AAP seeks hat-trick, BJP, Congress aim for revival

Voting would take place on Wednesday, February 5 and the results announced on Saturday, February 8.

The high-octane campaigning for the next Delhi Assembly election came to a close at 6 pm on Monday, February 3.

Voting would take place on Wednesday, February 5 and the results announced on Saturday, February 8.

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All major parties-the AAP, BJP and Congress-bragged of their strongmen by throwing in big guns, which performed roadshows, public meetings, padayatras, and bike rallies at a frenzied pace before the campaigning winds up.

Today being the last day of campaign, the essential silence period gelled. Voters will hit polling booths as soon as the process starts at 7 am tomorrow.

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Confident of a third straight term in power, the ruling AAP plays on its governance record and welfare schemes. The party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi are scheduled to address three rallies, including one at Kalkaji, as campaigning comes to an end today.

Kejriwal said that according to his estimate, the ruling party could win 55 of the 70 assembly seats in Delhi. "But if women put in a lot of effort – everyone should go out to vote and convince the men in their house to vote forAam Aadmi Party– then it can get more than 60 seats," Kejriwal posted on X.

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AAP has emerged victorious in the last two Delhi Assembly elections–2015 and 2020–without a fight.

BJP's Delhi power quest
The BJP seeks to win power in Delhi for the first time in 27 years. To this end, it is organizing 22 roadshows and rallies. On Monday, the front-runners were Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President J P Nadda, and many other BJP chief ministers.

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The last time the BJP was at the helm in Delhi was in 1998 under then chief minister, late Sushma Swaraj.

The Congress, which had nothing to lose as the party failed to win any seats in the last two elections, also stepped up its game. Roadshows by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were conducted separately in Kalkaji and Kasturba Nagar in an effort to reclaim lost ground for the party in the capital.

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Congress has been in power in Delhi for 15 years until 2013.

As many as 1.56 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots at 13,766 polling stations on Wednesday. Among them, 83.76 lakh are men, 72.36 lakh are women, and 1,267 are third-gender voters.

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During the campaign, AAP branded BJP as the "Bharatiya Jhootha Party" (party of liars) and "Gali Galoch Party" (abusive party), PM Narendra Modi labeled AAP as "AAPda" (disaster) and AAP leader Kejriwal as "Ghoshna Mantri" (minister of announcements).

The outcome of this hotly contested election will determine whether AAP continues its winning streak, the BJP breaks its losing streak, or Congress makes a surprising comeback.

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Read also| EC Responds to AAP: 'We Are a Three-Member Body, Not Run by One Person'

Read also| Omar Abdullah Says INDIA Bloc's Future Uncertain, Urges Strategy Session for Delhi Polls

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