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Saurabh Bharadwaj accuses Delhi Police of putting barricades at AAP strongholds: 'How will people vote?'
Delhi election: The AAP minister asked the Election Commission and Delhi Police to “show under what law or rule is this happening?”.
Delhi election: Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday accused the Delhi Police of putting barricades at 200 metres at polling stations at Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) strongholds.
“Delhi Police at AAP strongholds has barricaded the polling station at 200 metres. It’s there at Chirag Delhi polling station. No bike scooter car allowed,” Bharadwaj wrote in a post on X. Follow Delhi election live updates here.
“How will people vote? Will old and handicap walk 200 meters to vote?” the AAP minister sought to know.
He also urged the Election Commission of India and Delhi Police to “show under what law or rule is this happening?”
The Delhi Police, however, said that the elderly and those who cannot walk can bring their cars.
“There is an exception for the elderly and those who cannot walk. For them, bringing their car inside is allowed,” Ankit Chauhan, DCP, South Delhi told ANI.
“This rule is being implemented everywhere. We will investigate the places where he (Saurabh Bharadwaj) is raising concerns about...”
Delhi election: Voting underway
Voting is underway in all 70 of Delhi's assembly constituencies. The votes will be counted on February 8.
President Droupadi Murmu, Union ministers S Jaishankar and Hardeep Singh Puri, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were among those who cast their votes for the Delhi Assembly polls early in the morning on Wednesday.
Also Read | Delhi election: Two employees of CM's office detained with ₹5 lakh cash hours before polling, say police
The early voters also included AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and Delhi Chief Electoral Officer R Alice Vaz.
AAP's Greater Kailash candidate Saurabh Bharadwaj, BJP's Karawal Nagar candidate Kapil Mishra, Congress' New Delhi candidate Sandeep Dikshit and Kalkaji candidate Alka Lamba also voted soon after the voting began at 7am.
There are around 1.56 crore eligible voters in the capital, which is witnessing a triangular contest between the ruling AAP, BJP and Congress.
The AAP is seeking a third straight term, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making a determined push to reclaim the capital after more than 25 years.
The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years in a row till 2013, is striving to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections.
