100,000 poll officers on ground on election day

Besides toilets and drinking water, arrangements such as wheelchairs and ramps have also been made for specially abled voters.

With the Delhi assembly elections set for Wednesday, the Election Commission (EC) of India has deployed nearly 100,000 polling personnel -- comprising 8,715 volunteers -- across 13,766 voting stations at 2,696 locations in the Capital. The voting is scheduled to begin at 7am seal the fate of 699 candidates across 70 assembly constituencies by 6pm.

Polling officials with Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and other devices ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections on Tuesday. (HT photo)

Besides toilets and drinking water, arrangements such as wheelchairs and ramps have also been made for specially abled voters, under the Assured Minimum Facilities Policy, officials from EC said.

“Paramedical staff equipped with basic medical kits will be stationed at all polling locations. Volunteers will assist elderly voters, and sign language experts will be available to ensure that disabled voters have a seamless voting experience. Polling at all the stations will be monitored by senior officials in the CEO (chief electoral officer) office and the office of the district election officers through webcasting,” Sachin Rana, additional chief electoral officer, said.

Besides the polling officials, 220 companies of central paramilitary forces, 19,000 home guards, and 35,626 Delhi Police personnel have been deployed across Delhi for the elections.

“As many as 70 polling stations, one in each assembly constituency, will be exclusively managed by women staff, 70 by persons with disabilities, and 70 polling stations will be set up to encourage youth participation and engagement in the electoral process,” a poll panel official said.

Further, the CEO’s office has started a smart queue management system through an application -- Delhi Election -2025 QMS -- which uses cameras installed outside polling stations to count the number of voters queued up, helping them plan their visit and avoid long waiting lines. People can download the app and plan their visits.

To avoid any untoward incident, medical teams will be deployed at every polling station for emergencies, and a crèche facility will be also available for parents with young children. Additionally, colour-coded polling stations will help voters easily locate their designated booth, with the assigned colour mentioned in the Voter Information Slip, reducing confusion and delays on the election day.

A CEO official said a 24-hour helpline number, 1950, has been made functional to assist voters with election-related queries.

CEO R Alice Vaz urged the people of Delhi to participate in the voting process.

“It is our foremost responsibility as citizens to participate in this democratic process. I hope that all voters in Delhi come together to set a new record for voter turnout,” she stated.

Delhi has 15,614,000 electors including 8,376,173 men, 7,236,560 women, 1,267 from the third gender, and 12,736 service electors, according to the electoral data released by the CEO’s office on Friday.