Saturday, 7 February 2015

As it happened: Delhi goes to polls - The Hindu

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The closely watched Delhi Assembly elections have turned out to be a direct contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party unlike the 2013 elections which threw up a fractured mandate.


8.15 pm: Final voter turnout is 67.08%, 89 lakh voters exercised their franchise, reports Jaideep Deo Bhanj.


7.37 pm: Exit polls put AAP past the halfway mark, with the third giving them 35 out of 70 seats. Read more


7.20 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a meeting with top BJP leaders and discussed the political situation. Read more


7.17 pm: All exit poll figures are till 3 pm; heavy polling was seen frm 3 to 6 pm: Kiran Bedi, reports Mahim Pratap Singh.


7.16 pm: Kiran Bedi thanks Delhiites for coming out to vote in large numbers.


7.00 pm: 53,000 litres liquor, Rs. 40 lakh cash seized during Delhi polls. Read more


6.47 pm: In view of the heavy voter turnout, the Election Commission extended the voting time beyond the scheduled deadline of 6 pm to enable those in the queues to exercise their franchise.


6.40 pm: 67% turnout as of 6 pm as per Election Commission sources.


6.10 pm:



5.51 pm: Anyone in line at 6 pm will be allowed to vote, EC official says turnout likely to beat record


5.50 pm: Turnout at 5 pm -


63.83% in Central


65.22% in East


58.7% in New Delhi


64.29% in North


66.44% in NE


62.05% in NW


61.7% in South


64% in SW


64.31% in West


5.49 pm: Seelampur tops with highest turnout at 72.71% at 5 pm, Chandni Chowk lowest with 52.51%, reports Jaideep Deo Bhanj


5:15 pm: An old man at a waiting area made at a model polling station at B Block vasant Kunj in New Delhi. Photo: Meeta Ahlawat



4.21 pm: Less than 2 hours to go till polls close, voters still stream in.


4.18 pm: Around 1.3 crore voters had exercised their franchise by 3 p.m, Election Commission officials said.


4.10 pm: President Mukherjee did not cast his vote today, because he is a registered voter in Kolkata not Delhi.


3:12 pm: CEC H.S. Brahma tells The Hindu that polling in Delhi has been smooth so far. Says he expects the polling percentage to be in the range of 70 per cent. According to Mr. Brahma, the campaign has been a tough one – mainly between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party.


2:52 pm:



2:50 pm: AAP has filed a complaint against BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi with the Election Commission over an alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct in her constituency, Krishna Nagar.


2:45 pm: People of North East origin show their inked fingers after casting their vote at Lodhi estate. Photo: S.Subramanium



2:35 pm: Trilokpuri, which was hit by riots recently, has registered the second highest voters turnout with 41 23 % votes till 1 pm


2:30 pm: Exuding confidence of a BJP victory, Ms. Bedi appealed to the people to come out in large numbers and vote. Full story


2:15 pm: Mohd. Islam & Harkesh want quotas for visually challenged to translate into actual jobs, reports Jatin Anand



2:00 pm: AAP complains to EC against Kiran Bedi; allege she violated model code of conduct by asking for votes in Krishna Nagar.


1:50 pm: Mr. Saraswat, a voter from Patparganj says he wants a corruption free government, reports Kritika Sharma



1:33 pm: Voter turnout till 1 p.m. is 35.82 % Delhi EC confirms. District-wise split: 38.62% in North East Delhi, 37.14% in North West Delhi, 35.08% in South Delhi, 37.30% in South West Delhi & 35.84% in West Delhi; Central - 32.3 %; 37.41% - in East Delhi; 32.78% in New Delhi


1:24 pm: AAP workers pushed, manhandled my sisters; we'll complain to police and EC: BJP candidate Nupur Sharma


1:15 pm: Trilokpuri, which saw riots in October, 2014, comes out to vote. Photo: Sandeep Saxena



1:06 pm: BJP president Amit Shah to meet leaders, take stock of polling in Delhi elections so far.


1:05 pm: BJP workers are demoralised, they have already given up and know they are losing, says AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.


12:50 pm: Kritika Sharma reports from Trilokpuri: "We have moved over communal issues. All we want is good infrastructure for our area," say residents.



Women in Trilokpuri come out to vote in large numbers. The area had seen riots last year. Photo: Kritika Sharma


12:45 pm: From our reporter Shubhomoy Sikdar : A group of Congress supporters near a polling station in Chandani Chowk believe that rejecting Shahi Imam's support might work against AAP.


12.30 pm: A man wearing AAP sweatshirt and cap was asking voters to vote for AAP; when we confronted him, he started misbehaving: Nupur Sharma


12.23 pm: BJP candidate Nupur Sharma accuses AAP workers of molesting her at India Gate.


12.14 pm: "We have confined ourselves to raising real issues. Unlike other parties, we have not resorted to petty politics," Congress campaign chief Ajay Maken said after casting his vote. Read here


12.10 pm:



12.06 pm: Voters at Laxmi Nagar model polling station. Photo: Sandeep Saxena



12.02 pm: Tilak Vihar says he 'still remembers 1984'. Photo: Jatin Anand



11.52 am: Voter turnout, split district-wise as of 11 a.m.:









































Central15.52%
East20.9%
New Delhi18.56%
North17.7%
North East22.5%
North West20.3%
South19.5%
South West21.3%
West19.6%

11.48 am: Voter turnout stands at 19.59% as of 11 a.m.


11.47 am: Voters line up at a Chhattarpur polling station. Photo by Meeta Ahlawat



11.43 am: Ajay Maken after casting his vote. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar



11.41 am: Highest voter turnout in North East; lowest in Central Delhi constituencies, reports Jaideep Deo Bhanj


11.39 am: Several high profile voters including Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, besides the chief ministerial candidates of AAP and BJP, Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal, were among the first to vote at different polling centres. Read here


11.38 am: My comment on support to AAP was twisted by media, says Congress leader and former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit.


11.34 am: Paramilitary forces march through Krishna Nagar constituency. Photo: Sandeep Saxena



11.31 am: Former AAP leader and now BJP member Shazia Ilmi says no one wants a hung Assembly, and BJP will win with big margin.


11.30 am: Election Commissioner of India Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi after casting his vote at Nirman Bhavan. Photo: R.V. Moorthy



11.26 am: Jatin Anand reports: Tara Singh, 90, says he can't recall how many elections he has seen in his lifetime.



11.23 am: A look at the education details of candidates:


11.00 am: Two constituencies, Delhi Cantonment and New Delhi, are using EVMs with voter-verified paper trail facility.



10.55 am:



10.50 am: Kiran Bedi accuses AAP leaders of intimidating voters.


Watch video:



10.48 am:



10.45 am: Cops show up to break up a "friendly" faceoff between AAP and BJP supporters in the narrow lanes of Chirag Dilli, reports Sowmiya Ashok


10.42 am: As the number of critical polling booths has increased by 107 since the last Delhi Assembly elections, the number of security personnel has also gone up. Read here


10.40 am: Its utterly disgusting. I have no words: Kiran Bedi reacts to allegations of AAP supporters clashing with BJP workers


10.39 am: Dharampal (71) holding on to at least 10 phones for voters gone into poll booth.



10.28 am: A lot of cash and liquor were distributed in Delhi last evening. Voters know which party did it. Dont vote for such parties: Arvind Kejriwal


10.24 am: The BJP’s "social media war room" continued to churn out Facebook messages and tweets on the Delhi polls. Read here


10.22 am: Arvind Kejriwal appeals to Delhiites not to vote for parties which distributed alcohol, money.


10.20 am: Key constituency battle: Chhatarpur awaits better infrastructure




Three main contenders in 2015


BJP: Brahm Tanwar

AAP: Kartar Singh

Congress: Balram Tanwar




Polling percentage in 2013: 66.12%


Winner: Brahm Tanwar (BJP)

Runner-Up: Balram Tanwar (Congress)

Winning Margin: 16,000

Total Electors: 1,80,965

Women: 74,720

Men: 1,06,240

Polling Stations: 143





10.17 am: Over 300 voters above the age of 100 years will be exercising their franchise. Read here


10.16 am: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi arrives at Aurangzeb lane polling booth to cast his vote.



Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi along with New Delhi Assembly candidate Kiran Walia after casting his vote. Photo: V. Sudershan


10.14 am: Voter turnout till 9 a.m. is 5.7% overall, 4.3 in Central, 6.2 in East, 5.1 in New Delhi and 5.6 in North, reports Jaideep Deo Bhanj


10.09 am: Arvind Kejriwal arrives at BK Dutt Colony polling station



Media waiting for Arvind Kejriwal to arrive at polling station in Dutt colony. Photo: Prashant Nakwe


10.08 am: The people's will be done, says AICC president Sonia Gandhi after casting her vote at Nirman Bhawan, reports Mahim Pratap Singh


10.04 am: Every election is a challenge. Don't let this opportunity go to bring about a change, says BJP New Delhi candidate Nupur Sharma


9.57 am: The Delhi Assembly polls in numbers.



The central figure in the Delhi campaign is AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who transformed a loosely knit anti-corruption movement that had social activist Anna Hazare as its mascot, into a thriving political movement and party. Today it appears to be a credible challenger to the Modi juggernaut.



9.55 am: Key constituency battle: Matia Mahal - Where victory symbol changes, not the face




Three main contenders in 2015


Congress: Shoaib Iqbal

AAP: Aasim

BJP: Anjuman Dahalwi




Polling percentage in 2013: 65.77%


Winner: Shoaib Iqbal (JD(U))

Runner-Up: Mirza Javed Ali (Congress)

Winning Margin: 2891

Total Electors: 1,09,130

Women: 50947

Men: 58174

Polling Stations: 131





9.52 am: Asha Rathore, mother of a 9 month old child, works as a security guard. She will rush back home after her shift to vote. Photo: Sowmiya Ashok



9.50 am: Delhi EC says voter turnout in the first hour of polling is 5.40%


9.48 am: A look at the results of the 2013 elections. Witnessing a triangular electoral contest for the first time, the electorate in Delhi sprung a surprise by throwing a situation where no party was in a clear position to form the government on its own.



9.47 am: Our reporter Sowmiya Ashok tweets out a few pictures of a model polling station.



9.46 am: Some BJP supporters wearing saffron caps told to take them off by cops at BK Dutt Colony polling booth in New Delhi, reports Shubhomoy Sikdar.


9.45 am: Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit speaking to the media in front of Nirman Bhavan. Photo: R. V. Moorthy



9.42 am: Arvind Kejriwal is expected to arrive at the polling booth in BK Dutt Colony around 10 a.m.


9: 35 am: When asked to comment on the polls, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said, “Whatever the people want will happen.” Read here


9.30 am: 90 year-old Ramkali arrives to cast her vote. She says she is voting for the 64th time. Photo: Kritika Sharma



9.26 am: AAP Greater Kailash candidate Saurabh Bhardwaj says voters are more vocal this time, people voting for AAP confidently.


9.25 am: Congress leader Ajay Maken: Lets cut across party lines and work for Delhi after the elections.


9.24 am: Kiran Bedi asks Delhiites to vote for a safe city



9.23 am: President Pranab Mukherjee visited the model polling station in Rashtrapati Bhavan.



9.22 am: Key constituency battle: New Delhi - From Congress’ safe seat to venue for big fight?




Three main contenders in 2015


BJP: Nupur Sharma

AAP: Arvind Kejriwal

Congress: Kiran Walia




Polling percentage in 2013: 66.93%


Winner: Arvind Kejriwal (AAP)

Runner-Up: Sheila Dixit(Congress)

Winning Margin: 25,000

Total Electors: 1,36,189

Women: 61,110

Men: 75,071

Polling Stations: 211





9.15 am: Union Minister Harsh Vardhan says he is confident of BJP's win this election. "CM will be from Krishna Nagar only," he says, reports Kritika Sharma .



9.10 am: Former CM Shiela Dikshit waiting for Sonia Gandhi at the Nirman Bhavan. Photo: R.V. Moorthy



9.05 am: A wheelchair bound voter outside a polling booth. Photo: V. Sudershan



9.05 am: Kiran Bedi after casting her vote: Today is a historic day for Delhiites, said Kiran Bedi. Read here


9.00 am: Key constituency battle: Ballimaran - Can Congress continue its reign?




Three main contenders in 2015


Congress: Haroon YusufBJP: Shyam Lal Morwal

AAP: Imraan




Polling percentage in 2013: 67.47%


Winner: Haroon Yusuf (Congress)

Runner-Up: Moti Lal Sodhi (BJP)

Winning Margin: 8,093 votes

Total Electors: 1,37,574

Women: 58,076

Men: 73,491

Polling Stations: 158





8.55 am: From our reporter, Mahim Pratap Singh :



8.45 am: Kiran Bedi climbs atop her car outside the polling station. Photo: Akanksha Jain



8.44 am: Ms. Bedi's sister Anu, and former mayor Arti Mehra are also with her.




8.40 am: From our reporter Pheroze Vincent :



8.38 am: Congress candidate from G.K. Sharmistha Mukherjee says she’s confident of winning, reports Sowmiya Ashok.


8: 36 am: Arvind Kejriwal urged the voters in Delhi to cast their ballot in the assembly election. Read here


8.35 am: Here is where Arvind Kejriwal will vote at B K Dutt Colony. Photo: Shanker Chakravarty



8.30 am: Nirman Bhawan polling station, where Sonia Gandhi will cast her vote. Photo: R.V. Moorthy



8.30 am: Key constituency battle: Mangolpuri - Will ‘giant killer’ Rakhi strike again?




Three main contenders in 2015


BJP: Surijeet Kumar

AAP: Rakhi Birla

Congress: Raj Kumar Chauhan




Polling percentage in 2013: 69.73%


Winner: Rakhi Birla (AAP)

Runner-Up: Raj Kumar Chauhan (Congress)

Winning Margin: 10,585

Total Electors: 1,65,962

Women: 76,664

Men: 89,291

Polling Stations: 151





8.28 am: From our reporter Sowmiya Ashok : Lots of senior citizens out to cast their vote bright and early some with the help of walking sticks and others after a brisk morning walk!



8.15 am: Delhiites after casting their votes.



8.11 am Congress' GK candidate Sharmishta Mukherjee out to cast her vote. Photo: Sowmiya Ashok . After casting her vote, Sharmishta Mukherjee plans to visit all polling booths in the GK constituency to support partyworkers.



Key Candidates: Congress


8.08 am: Here's what some of our readers said about the Delhi Elections over a live chat with our correspondents and political editors. Read here


8.00 am: BJP chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi casts her vote.



Kiran Bedi prays before casting her vote. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma


7.55 am: The central figure in the Delhi campaign is AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who transformed a loosely knit anti-corruption movement that had social activist Anna Hazare as its mascot, into a thriving political movement and party. Today it appears to be a credible challenger to the Modi juggernaut. Read Editorial


7.53 am: For the first time, voters on Saturday’s Delhi Assembly election will be inked by using a brush and not a stick. Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Chandra Bhushan Kumar said on Thursday that ink applied with a brush dries much faster. Read here


7.50 am: Policewoman stationed outside a polling station where Kiran Bedi is expected to cast her vote. Photo: Meeta Ahlawat



7.46 am: A scene outside a polling station in Delhi before sunrise. Photo: Sandeep Saxena



7.45 am: Delhi Vidhan Sabha was spruced up for a new era. Read here


7.43 am: Bookmakers, punters and gamblers in the Capital are putting their money on a clean sweep by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) even as intelligence agencies insisted that the AAP and the BJP were still neck and neck in the race for the Delhi Assembly. Read here


Key Candidates: BJP


7:42 am: The number of candidates with criminal cases against them rose from 16 per cent in 2013 to 17 per cent this year. The BJP holds the dubious distinction of fielding the most candidates with pending criminal charges, with 39 per cent of its 70 contenders facing cases. The AAP comes in second with 33 per cent and the Congress at third with 30 per cent of their candidates facing charges.


7.40 am: PM Narendra Modi tweeted urging young voters to turn up in large numbers.



7.30 am: “I am confident about the people of Delhi, their judgement. Whoever they vote for, I will request them to vote for the truth” Read here


Key Candidates: Congress


7.27 am: Delhi Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari’s appeal to Muslims on Friday to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party triggered a controversy with the party turning down the support and the BJP warning against “fatwa politics.” Read here


7.25 am: A day ahead of voting for the 70 Assembly seats, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the AAP was more “comfortable on the streets” than in the Secretariat. The 49 days of AAP rule in 2013-14 were “nightmarish,” he said at a press conference. Read here


7.20 am: The number of candidates with criminal cases against them rose from 16 per cent in 2013 to 17 per cent this year. Those with serious charges against them, however, have gone down from 12 per cent to 11 per cent. As per ADR, serious charges include electoral offences, murder, assault and crimes against women. Read here


A look at some of the pictures that captured the mood in the capital ahead of the polls.


7.15 am: As the short, but heated and occasionally unsavoury campaign for the Delhi Assembly elections concluded, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appeared to have mounted a strong challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which seemed to be on a winning streak in the beginning.



Read here: Breaking down the poll list: financial assets



Recommended article: Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank.

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