Delhi recorded a modest voter turnout of 8.10% by 9 AM on Wednesday in the ongoing single-phase assembly elections, according to the Election Commission of India.
Among the districts, North East Delhi led with the highest turnout at 10.70%, followed by South West Delhi at 9.34%. Meanwhile, New Delhi district recorded the lowest turnout of 6.51%. Other districts showed the following turnout rates: Central (6.67%), East (8.21%), North (7.12%), North West (7.66%), Shahdara (8.92%), South (8.43%), South East (8.36%), and West (6.76%).
In the bypolls, Milkipur assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh recorded a higher turnout of 13.34%, while Tamil Nadu’s Erode (East) constituency reported a 10.95% turnout by 9 AM.
Polling for the 70 Delhi assembly seats, along with by-polls in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, began at 7 AM amidst tight security across all constituencies.
Prominent constituencies in Delhi, including New Delhi, Jangpura, Kalkaji, Okhla, Mustafabad, Bijwasan, Kasturba Nagar, Greater Kailash, and Patparganj, are witnessing intense competition. For AAP, retaining power for a third consecutive term is crucial, while the BJP seeks to regain control after nearly three decades. Congress, once a dominant force in Delhi politics, is aiming for a comeback after struggling in recent elections.
AAP, currently holding over 60 seats in the 70-member assembly, is seeking re-election based on its previous achievements. The New Delhi seat is a highly contested three-way race between former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal (AAP), BJP’s Parvesh Verma, and Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit. In Jangpura, AAP’s Manish Sisodia is competing against Congress’s Farhad Suri and BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah.
A total of 699 candidates are vying for the 70 assembly seats in Delhi.
In Milkipur, Uttar Pradesh, the focus is on the SC-reserved constituency, where 370,829 voters will decide the fate of candidates, with the main battle expected between Samajwadi Party’s Ajit Prasad and BJP’s Chandrabhanu Paswan. The vote counting for all elections will take place on February 8.
