Delhi witnessed a voter turnout of 44.58 percent by 3 pm as polling continued for its seven Lok Sabha constituencies on Saturday. The highest turnout was recorded in North East Delhi at 47.85 percent, while New Delhi saw the lowest at 42.17 percent, according to the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office.
The East Delhi constituency had a 44.70 percent turnout, Chandni Chowk 43.24 percent, North West Delhi 44.78 percent, South Delhi 42.96 percent, and West Delhi 44.91 percent by 3 pm. Poll officials reported no major technical issues or delays in the commencement of voting.
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However, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat experienced a delay at St Columba’s School in New Delhi due to a drained battery in the EVM control unit, causing her to wait nearly an hour. The District Election Officer confirmed the battery issue occurred around 10 am and was resolved within 15 minutes.
Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj also reported irregularities. Atishi claimed that in Captain Anuj Nayyar School, Janakpuri, the presiding officer tried to get polling agents to sign Form 17(C) prematurely. She also alleged that an election officer in Govt School No 3, Kalkaji, directed that polling agents could not note down any data, raising concerns about potential manipulation of voting numbers.
An official from the Delhi CEO’s office stated that poll personnel have been instructed to investigate these complaints.
Several prominent figures, including Union ministers S. Jaishankar and Hardeep Singh Puri, AAP leader Atishi, outgoing East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir, and various candidates, cast their votes early in the morning. President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar also voted in the New Delhi constituency.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, currently on interim bail in the Delhi excise policy case, cast his vote with his family at a Civil Lines polling booth. He urged citizens to vote despite the intense summer heat, emphasizing the importance of opposing “dictatorship, inflation, and unemployment.” Kejriwal’s elderly mother could not join them due to health reasons.
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A ‘yellow’ heatwave warning was in effect, with temperatures expected to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius. The Delhi poll body made extensive arrangements to help voters cope with the heat, including providing shade and hydration facilities at more than 13,000 polling booths across the seven constituencies.
Early voters included AAP’s South Delhi candidate Sahi Ram Pahalwan, BJP’s Chandni Chowk nominee Praveen Khandelwal, and New Delhi hopeful Bansuri Swaraj. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Robert Vadra’s daughter Miraya, voting for the first time, urged young people to vote, stressing the importance of participation in democracy.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M Harsha Vardhan assured that the police had made robust arrangements for the elections, emphasizing the pride and responsibility of ensuring free and fair voting.
A total of 1.52 crore voters, including over 2.52 lakh first-time voters, are eligible to vote in Delhi. The BJP, having won all seven seats in 2014 and 2019, aims for a third consecutive clean sweep, while INDIA bloc partners AAP and Congress contest under a four-three seat-sharing formula.
This election marks the first time AAP and Congress have fielded joint candidates in Delhi’s Lok Sabha polls.
(With PTI inputs)
