New Delhi [India], February 4 : Seventy assembly constituencies in Delhi will go to polls at 7 AM on February 5 to elect their representatives for the 8th Assembly.
Just a day before the commencement of voting, Chief Electoral Officer R Alice Vaz urged all eligible voters to participate in large numbers, emphasising the right to vote is also a fundamental civic duty. She encouraged every voter to exercise their franchise and be part of this grand celebration of democracy.
"On the day of voting, February 5th, I urge all voters in Delhi to come out in large numbers and cast their vote. It is our foremost responsibility as citizens to participate in this democratic process," said CEO R Alice Vaz.
However, the 48-hour silent period also saw some controversy earlier today as a Bharatiya Janata Party delegation submitted a complaint at the office of the CEO, saying that multiple workers of the Aam Aadmi Party are causing "nuisance across all constituence in Delhi during night time and there is an apprehension that they can influence the election."
"A social media video of a person who is a worker of Aam Aadmi Party holding weapon ("gun") belong to Mehrauli Constituency is being spread across the social media to create panic and threat in the minds of the voters," alleged the letter submitted by BJP.
Meanwhile in Haryana, an FIR was registered against former Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and other unknown members at Shahabad Police Station in Kurukshetra in Haryana under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The FIR is in connection with his statements regarding water in the Yamuna and his allegations against Haryana government.
Multiple prominent Congress leaders will cast their votes for the Delhi Assembly Elections.
Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi will cast his vote at nirwan bhawan 8.15 am. Party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will cast her vote at Atal school at 11 am. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Devender Yadav will cast his vote at Govt. Girl Senior Secondary school, Samaipur, Delhi at 10.00 AM, AICC Treasurer Ajay Maken, MP will cast his vote at Sheela Kids School, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi at 9.00 AM. Pawan khera , Chairman Media & Publicity Deptt. AICC will cast his vote at Satyawati Sood Arya Sr. Sec. school Nizamuddin East, New Delhi at 10.00 AM.
Former MP, Sandeep Dikshit will vote at Kaviraj Khajan Chand Quetta, DAV School, Nizamuddin East, New Delhi at 7.00 AM. All India Mahila Congress President and Kalkaji assembly candidate Alka Lamba will cast her vote at Tagore Garden MCD School, Delhi at 9.00 AM.
Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata party leader Hardeep Puri, and his wife, Lakshmi Puri will vote at Mount Carmel School, Anand Niketan, Moti Bagh.
Earlier today, Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera, in his attack before the commencement of polls said that, that AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal wouldn't have been part of the INDIA bloc if it was up to Congress.
"If Congress was given a choice, I don't think he (Arvind Kejriwal) would have been a part (of the INDIA alliance). I don't think we on our own took him or dumped him. He dumped himself out," Khera told ANI in an interview.
He further said that Congress is fighting the Delhi elections on the legacy of former CM Shiela Dikshit.
"In 1998, Sheila ji was an untested person, nobody knew. Her performance was shown in the 15 years of her governance, but in 1998, people invested in Congress, they invested in Mrs Dikshit and they realised they invested wisely. Today too her legacy is there, whether it is the metro, or the buses, which unfortunately is not being maintained now, but clean fuels, parks, everything you see Sheila Dikshit smiling at you," Khera told ANI.
BJP state president Virendraa Sachdeva, also hit out at Kejriwal, refuting any allegations raised by AAP that BJP is trying to forcibly ink voters before February 5 to disenfranchise them.
"Arvind Kejriwal is such a cunning criminal that he tries to blame others of what he does himself. I want to ask if the list of absent voters submitted by the AAP is genuine... He does not want the genuine voters to cast their votes," Sachdeva said.
A delegation of AAP leaders, Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi met with the Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar at Nirvachan Sadan today, discussing issues regarding violence and hooliganism.
He also thanked the the Election Commission for making an exception by meeting him as parties were not entertained during the silent period.
"We raised some issues because of which violence and hooliganism in some place. The EC has assured us of strict action and that unbiased elections will be held. We also warned them of large-scale voter suppression. There are also chances that the fingers of people might be forcibly inked and they are threatened into not voting tomorrow..." Kejriwal said while speaking to the media.
Some of the hotly contested seats which feature prominent candidates include New Delhi Assembly constituency, Jangpura, Kalkaji and others.
The Incument AAP, which currently has more than 60 seats in the 70 seat assembly seeks re-election while appealing to their previous work done in their previous two tenures.
Current Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi, is contesting in Kalkaji assembly constituency. She is going to be against Congress' Alka Lamba, and BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri.
Jangpura constituency, which is being contested by AAP's Manish Sisodia, will be looking to contest against Congress' Farhad Suri, and BJP's Tarvinder Singh Marwah.
Meanwhile, the New Delhi Assembly constituency, the home ground of former CM Arvind Kejriwal will see a triangular contest between heavy weights of Congress Sandeep Dikshit and BJP's Parvesh Verma.