The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to announce the much-anticipated schedule for the 70-member Delhi Assembly elections on Tuesday.
The announcement will be made during a press conference at 2 PM in the Plenary Hall of Vigyan Bhawan, setting the stage for a highly competitive election season in the national capital.
The current term of the Delhi Assembly is set to expire on February 23, 2025, requiring the entire election process to be completed before this date.
As part of the preparations, the ECI released a revised voter list on Monday, showing a significant increase in the voter base.
The number of registered voters in Delhi has risen from 1,53,57,529 in October 2024 to 1,55,24,858 by December 2024, reflecting the addition of 1,67,329 new voters.
The ECI has also issued a caution against the submission of false or fabricated documents for obtaining voter IDs, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.
With the announcement of the election schedule imminent, the political battleground in Delhi is already heating up. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has declared candidates for all 70 seats.
Party chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is once again contesting from the New Delhi seat, while current Chief Minister Atishi will be running from the Kalkaji seat.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also released its first list of 29 candidates, featuring prominent names.
Former AAP ministers Kailash Gahlot and Raj Kumar Anand will contest from Bijwasan and Patel Nagar, respectively, while former Congress leader Arvind Singh Lovely is set to run from Gandhi Nagar.
Pravesh Sahib Singh Verma, son of former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, has been fielded against Kejriwal in the high-profile New Delhi seat.
Former South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri will face a tough battle against Chief Minister Atishi in Kalkaji, with the BJP aiming to make significant inroads in this key constituency.
In the prestigious New Delhi seat, voters will witness a three-way contest between AAP, BJP, and Congress.
While Kejriwal leads AAP, the BJP has fielded Pravesh Sahib Singh Verma, and Congress has nominated Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, to challenge Kejriwal.
The Kalkaji seat is also expected to see a closely contested fight, with BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri taking on Chief Minister Atishi. Congress has announced Alka Lamba as its candidate for the same constituency.
The Congress party, which has so far announced 48 candidates, is expected to release additional names in the coming days as the race intensifies.
With political momentum building, all eyes are now on the ECI’s announcement, which will officially kick-start the countdown to what promises to be a fierce electoral contest in Delhi.
(With IANS input)