NEW DELHI: Elections for Delhi’s 70-member assembly will be held on February 8 and the poll results will come out on February 11.
With the announcement of poll schedule by the CEC Sunil Arora, Model Code of Conduct has come into force in Delhi from Monday.
Arora said that several meetings were held to assess the law and order situation in Delhi and if the need arises, polls can be deferred as per the law.
The term of the 70-member Assembly ends on February 22, meaning a new House has to be constituted before that date. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had won record 67 out of 70 seats in 2015 polls and this time the party is seeking re-election in the national capital.
Moreover, this will be the first election since the BJP registered a loss in Jharkhand - its second state of 2019 - last month; the BJP lost to an opposition alliance led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. This will also be the first polls in the national capital since the BJP swept to a massive win in Lok Sabha polls early last year.
Besides, Delhi polls will also test the public mood following amended citizenship act and NRC. Delhi BJP has already started reaching out to people on the issue.
Meanwhile, AAP has sought to keep the focus of the electoral battle on the state government’s development works such as the Mohalla clinics and model schools and this time party is eyeing all 70 seats.
Taking a cue from Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, Kejriwal also roped in election strategist Prashant Kishor’s political consultancy firm I-PAC in his quest to return as Delhi chief minister for the second consecutive term next year, though the firm has had too short a period to deliver.
The AAP launched its campaign last month with the slogan ‘Ache beete 5 saal, lage raho Kejriwal’ (Past 5 years have been good, keep going with Kejriwal).
Total electors in NCT of Delhi are 1,46,92,136 and polling will be held across 13,750 polling stations.
The fight in Delhi remains three-cornered with AAP, BJP and Congress eyeing to win in the national capital.