164,000 voters to decide fate of 14 candidates in Rajinder Nagar by-polls

The seat fell vacant after its MLA Raghav Chadha, of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), resigned and got elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab after his party stormed to power in that state.

Preparations are on in full swing for the Rajinder Nagar assembly by-elections, to be held on June 23, when a total of 164,698 electors will decide the next legislator of the constituency from among the 14 candidates in the fray, chief electoral officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh said on Friday, while announcing that voting will be conducted at 190 polling stations across 21 locations in the assembly segment. The results will be declared on June 26.

Among the voters, 92,221 are male and 72,473 are female, while four are of the third gender. (Representative image)

The seat fell vacant after its MLA Raghav Chadha, of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), resigned and got elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab after his party stormed to power in that state.

The excise department has announced dry days in the assembly constituency from June 21 till the end of voting on June 23, and for the whole day on June 26, the day of counting. No liquor sale will take place during these days, the department said.

Among the voters, 92,221 are male and 72,473 are female, while four are of the third gender. A total of 591 electors are people with disabilities, 39 are visually impaired and 64 are service voters. As many as 899 voters are in the 18-19 age group and likely will be exercising their franchise for the first time. The poll panel is using the electoral rolls published on June 7, 2022, with the cutoff for the qualifying age being January 1, 2022.

Located in the heart of Delhi near Connaught Place, the constituency is bordered by the Central Ridge forests on the east and south, the Agriculture Research Institute on the west, and Karol Bagh on the north.

All polling activities will be in compliance with Covid protocols such as mandatory masks, thermal scanning, sanitiser use, etc. “The maximum number of voters at polling stations have been reduced to 1,250 and 13 auxiliary polling stations will be created,” said Singh.

According to the CEO, six companies -- four male and two female companies-- of the central armed police forces will be deployed for the smooth conduct of polls. “Besides them, 308 Delhi Police personnel and 177 home guards will also be deployed,” said Singh.

The CEO further said that since the announcement of the election, 299 litres of alcohol, with a market value of ₹94,906, have been seized from the area while 2,716 persons have been booked under the CrPC and Defacement Act. “Under the Defacement Act, 15,015 banners, posters, and hoardings have been removed from the constituency and nearby areas. General observer, expenditure observer, and assistant expenditure observer have also been deployed as part of the polls preparations,” said the CEO.

As part of its initiatives to encourage a higher turnout, the poll panel will provide free pickup and drop facility to voters above 80 years and persons with disabilities on polling day. People wanting to avail of the facility can call on 1950 or visit the www.ceodelhi.gov.in, Singh said. Indian sign language experts will be deployed to facilitate those requiring their help. Voters can use their electoral identity card, Aadhaar card, driving licence, PAN card, and passport, among other documents, for exercising their franchise.

Meanwhile, campaigning for the by-elections picked up speed with all three main contenders -- of the AAP, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- pulling out all stops in their efforts to reach voters.

The AAP nominee Durgesh Pathak is seeking support in the name of the development works carried out by the AAP government, while the BJP and the Congress candidates -- both former municipal councillors from the area -- are betting on their ”local connect” and the works done during their tenure as councillors.

According to Rajinder Nagar residents, their main issues range from the ongoing water crisis, lack of adequate parking, bad shape of internal roads and a lack of sanitation. The constituency has three villages -- Dasgarha (which is dominated by Jats), Todapur (a Yadav majority village) and Naraina (mixed demography) -- and nearly 12 slum clusters such as Gas Godam Jhuggi, Rajiv Gandhi Camp, and Indira Camp.

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