Delhi Elections: Record voter turnout of 67.08% as queues form even after 6 pm

The AAP, BJP and Congress hope to secure the mandate in this election.

delhi elections, voting percentage, aam aadmi party, BJP, delhi polls

Women show their inked fingers after casting votes for Assembly elections at a polling station at walled city, in New Delhi on Saturday. (Source: PTI)

It was decision day today as Delhi voted for a new government. Polling began at 8 am across 70 constituencies in the national capital in a contest which is seen as a direct fight between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). At the end of the day, Election Commission officials confirmed an unprecedented 67.08% voter turnout was recorded in the city.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, BJP’s Kiran Bedi, Congress’s Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were some of the leaders who made their way to the polling station as soon as voting began. Over 12,000 polling stations, of which which 714 have been identified as “critical” and 191 “highly critical” have been set up in Delhi. A total of over 1.33 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise.

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AAP strongholds across Delhi witnessed heavy to moderate voting. By 3 pm, 51.15 per cent of votes had been cast with the highest turnouts being recorded in Seelampur (58.5%), Mongolpuri (57.7%) and Trinagar (57.09%). The Muslim-dominated constituencies of Okhla and Ballimaran were among three with the lowest percentage of votes. Both had elected Congress candidates in the 2013 assembly elections. Okhla recorded only 42.01% by 3 pm – in the last election, polling hours had to be extended into the night in Okhla because of the heavy turnout.

Read here: Voting time extended for those in queue before 6 PM

AAP and BJP workers traded charges and complaints came in from Mangolpuri, Krishna Nagar, Narela and Shalimar Bagh. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that polling had slowed down because polling officers had taken a lunch break. BJP chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi accused “an unethical party” of buying votes. AAP, in turn, filed a complaint against Bedi. At several places like R K Puram and Greater Kailash, voters complained their names were missing from the list at the booths though their names showed up on online electoral rolls.

WATCH VIDEO: Why I Voted–The Battle for Delhi

Nearly 64,000 police personnel have been deployed across the city to ensure free and fair polls.

DELHI POLLS HIGHLIGHTS:

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