Election Commission to announce Delhi Assembly poll schedule today
The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections at 2 PM today. The poll panel will hold a press conference to reveal the dates. The current term of the 70-member Delhi Assembly ends on February 23, making elections necessary before then.
In 2020, the ECI announced election dates on January 6, held polling on February 8, and counted votes by February 11. This year, the election process is expected to follow a similar timeline.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Arvind Kejriwal, aims for a third consecutive term in power. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to wrest control of Delhi, while Congress hopes for a surprise victory. Despite their alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections under the INDIA bloc, Congress and AAP will contest the Assembly elections separately.
AAP has dominated the 2015 and 2020 elections, winning 67 and 62 seats, respectively. The BJP secured only a handful of seats in both elections, while Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years, failed to win any seats in 2020. The Assembly elections are now a critical battleground for all parties.
After Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Chief Minister in September following his bail in the liquor policy case, AAP vowed to bring him back to power once the people of Delhi regained their trust in him. Meanwhile, the BJP is focusing on removing AAP, accusing it of corruption.
On Sunday, AAP released its fourth and final list of 38 candidates for the elections. This makes AAP the first major party to announce all 70 contenders. Kejriwal will contest from the New Delhi constituency for the fourth time. Chief Minister Atishi will seek re-election from Kalkaji.
The upcoming Delhi Assembly elections will be a high-stakes contest, with each party focusing on their strategies to secure victory and gain control of the city. The ECI’s announcement today will set the stage for a crucial political battle.
