NEW DELHI: With 63.45 per cent polling, the North East Delhi parliamentary constituency registered the highest turnout in the national capital, which witnessed a high profile contest between three major political parties. President of Delhi BJP unit Manoj Tiwari faced off against Congress Delhi chief Sheila Dikshit and AAP’s Delhi unit convenor candidate Dilip Pandey in the constituency.
In 2014 elections, North East Delhi had witnessed 67.32 per cent turnout and stood second in the tally. This year, the national capital registered a total of 60.21 per cent voting, on Sunday.
Around 62.69 per cent voting was recorded in Chandni Chowk constituency, where Dr Harsh Vardhan of BJP is seeking re-election and contested against Congress veteran Jai Prakash Agarwal and AAP’s Pankaj Gupta, a first-timer.
The East Delhi constituency too saw high-pitched battle. AAP star candidate Atishi, former cricketer and BJP candidate Gautam Gambir and Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely are in the fray here.
The three-week long high-octane canvassing in the national capital saw BJP, Congress, and AAP leaving no stone unturned to win the seven seats, which were won by the BJP in the last elections.
With nothing to lose, the Congress is fighting to revive its lost ground.
The New Delhi seat saw the lowest polling percentage on Sunday at 56.47. The South Delhi parliamentary constituency, which had seen lowest polling of 62.92 per cent in 2014 and 47.14 per cent in 2009 did poorly this time too with 57.30 per cent.
In West Delhi, the polling percentage was recorded at 60.64 while it was 66.13 in 2014 polls.
North West Delhi, where 58.99 per cent voters used their franchise this time, had seen 61.81 per cent polling in the previous elections.
The Lok Sabha election results are being touted as a precursor to the Assembly polls to be held next year in Delhi.With inputs from Parvez Sultan, Siddhanta Mishra, Somrita Ghosh, Ritwika Mitra and Pushkar Banakar
Raghav Chadha alleges bogus voting by BJP workers
AAP’s South Delhi candidate Raghav Chadha accused BJP workers of casting bogus votes in Sangam Vihar. Chadha alleged that the BJP workers have collided with the police and are casting their ballots again and again after removing the ink. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari dismissed the charge saying “he is scared of defeat.”