AAP Set to Safeguard Its ‘Delhi Dominion’ on February 5 as BJP Gains Momentum; Congress a Strong Contender
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New Delhi, Jan 7 (NationPress) Over 1.55 crore voters in Delhi are preparing to elect their 70 new legislators in a single-phase Assembly election scheduled for February 5, with results expected on February 8, as announced by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday.
During a briefing about 13,033 polling stations and the election timeline, CEC Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, emphasized the tamper-proof nature of EVMs, urging political parties to uphold decorum throughout the campaign and avoid making financially impractical poll promises.
To address concerns regarding the integrity of the electoral process, CEC Rajiv Kumar presented an audio-visual overview of six critical issues, including improper modifications to the electoral roll, targeting specific voter groups, EVM manipulation, and discrepancies in vote counts in some constituencies.
He proudly noted that the country is on track to become a nation with one billion registered voters. "Our electoral rolls published yesterday, along with four additional states today, indicate that we are nearing 99 crore registered voters. Soon, we will reach a milestone of one billion voters, the highest globally," he stated.
While reiterating the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) limitations in curbing candidates from making alluring poll promises, he warned political parties against offering freebies that could deplete state resources.
“We cannot jeopardize the future of upcoming generations,” he remarked, criticizing the practice of political parties making financially untenable promises during elections.
CEC Rajiv Kumar suggested that parties should inform voters of the financial implications of their promises, enabling voters to understand the potential impact on government finances and debt.
To mitigate the risk of the Central government providing freebies to Delhi voters in the forthcoming Union Budget, CEC Rajiv Kumar stated that the ECI will formally request the government to refrain from making any Delhi-centric announcements in the Budget, which is set to be presented just four days before the voting.
Amid rising political tensions and a surge in personal attacks in Delhi, the CEC urged all political parties to maintain civility during the election campaign.
The ECI instructed parties to abstain from "spreading misinformation" about the electoral process, stressing that such actions mislead the public and deter youth involvement in elections.
He warned that the ECI would not hesitate to pursue legal action against candidates who cross moral boundaries with derogatory remarks against women during the campaign.
This stern warning follows comments made by BJP candidate from the Kalkaji seat, Ramesh Bidhuri, who made disparaging remarks about Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.
As he approaches retirement next month, the CEC put forth two recommendations for electoral reforms.
He emphasized the need to engage the 30 crore missing voters in the electoral process, suggesting that a national discussion on remote voting—with trials already conducted—could be a viable solution for those unable to vote.
Regarding the protection of voter identity at polling stations, which remains a concern due to the non-mixing of EVMs, he proposed utilizing a “totalizer” to aggregate votes from all EVMs at the end of each counting round, thereby concealing individual EVM or booth voting details.
In the current 70-member Delhi Assembly, the ruling AAP holds 62 seats, while the BJP has 8.
As the ruling Aam Aadmi Party seeks to maintain its leadership for a third consecutive term, the BJP is making every effort to regain power in the national capital, while Congress is determined to enhance its performance.
