The polling for the 70-member Delhi Assembly got underway on Saturday morning, an election that saw the ruling AAP, opposition BJP and the Congress engaged in a bitterly fought high-octane campaign. Over 1.47 crore people are eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls that will decide the fate of 672 candidates.
Security forces kept a tight watch across the 70 constituencies, with police and paramilitary personnel keeping an "extra vigil" in sensitive areas like Shaheen Bagh, Jamia Nagar and Seelampuri.
There are over 81 lakh male voters, 66.80 lakh female voters, and 869 third-gender voters, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh has said. Around 2.33 lakh voters are in the age group of 18-19, 2.04 lakh voters are senior citizens aged 80, while there are 11,608 service voters, according to officials.
Prominent candidates in the fray include Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Atishi and Raghav Chadha of the AAP; four former mayors -- Azad Singh, Yogender Chandolia, Ravinder Gupta and Khushi Ram -- of the BJP; and Shivani Chopra, daughter of Delhi Congress president Subhash Chopra.
There are 13,750 polling booths, besides one auxiliary booth, located at 2,689 locations across Delhi.
AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia urged people to cast their vote.
"Best wishes to all Delhiites on the great festival of democracy! Today, vote for the good education of your children with a sincere heart. Vote on the broom," he tweeted in Hindi. Sisodia is aiming for a hat-trick from his Patparganj Assembly seat.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh also urged the people to vote for a "happy Delhi" with improved "education, health, free electricity and water".
BJP's Parvesh Varma and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were among the early voters. Jaishankar said, "it is the basic duty of every citizen to vote. It is important to get out there and contribute."
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