Polling for the 12 vacant wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is underway, setting the stage for the first direct electoral battle between the BJP, AAP and Congress in the capital since the February 5 Assembly election.
Voting started at 7.30 a.m. on Sunday across 580 booths, staffed by 2,320 Election Commission personnel. By 9.30 a.m., voter turnout stood at 5.40 per cent.
The Delhi State Election Commission announced that metro services would begin at 4 a.m. and the Delhi Transport Corporation would run special buses from 3 a.m. both on Sunday and on December 3, when counting will take place, according to a PTI report.
To ensure smooth polling, 2,265 security personnel have been deployed, along with 580 Home Guards and 13 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces.
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Voting underway for MCD bypolls
Voting is underway in Mundka (General), Shalimar Bagh-B (Women), Ashok Vihar (Women), Chandni Chowk (General), Chandni Mahal (General), Dwarka-B (Women), Dichaon Kalan (Women), Naraina (General), Sangam Vihar-A (General), Dakshin Puri (SC), Greater Kailash (Women) and Vinod Nagar (General).
{{/usCountry}}Voting is underway in Mundka (General), Shalimar Bagh-B (Women), Ashok Vihar (Women), Chandni Chowk (General), Chandni Mahal (General), Dwarka-B (Women), Dichaon Kalan (Women), Naraina (General), Sangam Vihar-A (General), Dakshin Puri (SC), Greater Kailash (Women) and Vinod Nagar (General).
{{/usCountry}}At a booth in Shalimar Bagh, a voter urged residents to participate and think of the larger good. “Those we vote for should take society forward. I would also appeal to the people to do whatever is in the best interest of society,” she said, according to a PTI report.
Another voter echoed a similar sentiment. “I have cast my vote, and I have done so because it is my duty to put my country, society, and family in the safest hands. Therefore, by voting, I can choose the best people", the report added.
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Three-way contest in Delhi
The bypolls have shaped up into a three-way contest involving the BJP, Congress and AAP.
It is the first electoral test for the BJP after its Assembly victory, while AAP hopes to regain ground in the MCD following its recent loss.
Eight of the BJP’s candidates are women.
Its candidates include Jaipal Singh Saral (Mundka), Anita Jain (Shalimar Bagh-B), Veena Asija (Ashok Vihar), Suman Kumar Gupta (Chandni Chowk), Sunil Sharma (Chandni Mahal), Manisha Rajpal Sehrawat (Dwarka-B), Rekha Rani (Dichaon Kalan), Chandrakanta Shivani (Naraina), Rohini Raj (Dakshin Puri), Subhrajeet Gautam (Sangam Vihar-A), Anjum Mandal (Greater Kailash) and Sarla Chaudhary (Vinod Nagar).
Congress has fielded Mukesh (Mundka), Sarita Kumari (Shalimar Bagh-B), Vishakha Rani (Ashok Vihar), Ajay Kumar Jain (Chandni Chowk), Kunwar Shehzad Ahmed (Chandni Mahal), Sumita Malik (Dwarka-B), Rashmi Sharma (Dichaon Kalan), Manoj Tanwar (Naraina), Suresh Choudhary (Sangam Vihar-A), Vikram (Dakshin Puri), Shikha Kapur (Greater Kailash) and Vinay Shankar Dubey (Vinod Nagar).
AAP has named Ram Swaroop Kanojia (Dakshin Puri), Anuj Sharma (Sangam Vihar-A), Eeshna Gupta (Greater Kailash), Geeta Rawat (Vinod Nagar), and Babita Ahlawat (Shalimar Bagh-B) among its candidates.
Counting of votes is scheduled for December 3.