The stage is set for the high-stakes Delhi Assembly elections, with more than 1.56 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots on February 5 across 70 constituencies. Voting will take place at 13,766 polling stations from 7 am to 6 pm under heavy security arrangements.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Arvind Kejriwal, is seeking a third consecutive term, banking on its governance record and welfare schemes. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), out of power in Delhi for over 25 years, is making a strong bid to reclaim control, while the Congress, which ruled the capital for 15 years till 2013, is aiming for a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections.
Delhi Election 2025: From New Delhi To Kalkaji — The Key Fights
Several high-profile contests are set to take place. Arvind Kejriwal is once again contesting from the New Delhi seat, facing BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit. In Kalkaji, AAP’s Atishi is up against Congress leader Alka Lamba and BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri.
Manish Sisodia, former Deputy Chief Minister, is contesting from Jangpura, where he faces BJP’s Tarvinder Singh Marwah and Congress’s Farhad Suri. Senior AAP leader Satyendar Jain is in the fray in Shakur Basti against BJP’s Karnail Singh. In Malviya Nagar, AAP’s Somnath Bharti will take on BJP’s Satish Upadhyay and Congress’s Jitendra Kumar Kochar.
Delhi Election 2025: Key Issues Include ‘Sheesh Mahal’ Row, Yamuna Pollution
The 27-day campaign ended on Monday evening, marking the start of the mandatory silence period before polling. The political battle saw aggressive name-calling, AI-generated spoofs, and heated debates over issues such as the Sheesh Mahal controversy, Yamuna’s water quality, and allegations of voter list tampering.
The BJP focused its attack on Kejriwal over corruption allegations, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP chief JP Nadda leading the charge. Modi urged voters to remove AAP from power, calling it “AAP-da” (disaster) for Delhi.
The AAP, in response, showcased its achievements in education and healthcare and accused the BJP of orchestrating a conspiracy to create a water crisis in Delhi. Kejriwal alleged that the BJP government in Haryana had “mixed poison” in the Yamuna water, calling it an attempted genocide. The AAP also labelled the BJP as the “Gali Galauj Party” due to the alleged abusive language of BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri. Kejriwal blamed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for criminal activities in the city demanding answers from him and law and order issues.
The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, took on both AAP and BJP, criticising their governance failures while promising a return to stable leadership. Rahul Gandhi mocked Kejriwal over the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ row and dared him to drink the ‘stinking’ water supplied to Delhi. He also called the AAP chief and Manish Sisodia the ‘architect’ of the alleged liquor scam.
With freebies dominating the poll narrative, each party has made several financial promises to voters. The AAP has pledged free bus rides for students, Rs 18,000 financial aid for temple priests and gurdwara granthis, and insurance schemes for auto and taxi drivers. The BJP has promised Rs 21,000 for expecting mothers and subsidised cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500. The Congress has vowed to provide a monthly unemployment benefit of Rs 8,500, along with Rs 500 LPG cylinders for households.
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Delhi Election 2025: Security Arrangements For February 5 Polling
To ensure free and fair elections, the Election Commission has deployed 220 paramilitary companies, 35,626 Delhi Police personnel, and 19,000 home guards. Nearly 3,000 polling booths have been marked as sensitive, with drone surveillance and Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) stationed at critical locations.
Addressing a press conference, Special Commissioners of Police (Law and Order) Madhup Tewari (Zone-II) and Ravindra Yadav (Zone-I) detailed the security measures. “All Delhi Police personnel are committed to ensuring free, fair, and peaceful elections. The pre-poll arrangements have already been made,” said Special CP Ravindra Yadav, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Additionally, all 65 border points that Delhi shares with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have been sealed, and heavy security deployment is in place.
In preparation for the elections, Delhi Police held an inter-state coordination meeting in January with senior officers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, and Jammu & Kashmir. The meeting, chaired by Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, focused on ensuring robust security arrangements.
According to Special CP Madhup Tewari, more than 1,000 cases of alleged Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations have been registered between January 7 and February 2. Police have intensified vigilance at border checkpoints and launched a crackdown on illegal activities, including smuggling of arms, liquor, and drugs. Authorities have seized 462 illegal firearms and 510 cartridges, resulting in the arrest of 482 people under the Arms Act. In addition, 1,08,258 litres of liquor have been confiscated, resulting in the arrest of 1,353 individuals. Law enforcement agencies also seized 196.602 kg of drugs worth over Rs 77.9 crore.
Additionally, more than 1,200 banned injections have been confiscated, with 177 arrests made so far. Authorities have seized Rs 11.23 crore in cash and 37.39 kg of silver, figures significantly higher than those recorded in the 2020 Assembly elections.
Tewari stated that over 15,000 licensed arms have been deposited at various police stations, and all Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) are coordinating with law enforcement agencies in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. He further noted that no untoward incidents were reported during the campaign period, PTI reported.
Highlighting the robust security measures, Tewari said that Delhi Police provided extensive security for star campaigners, ensuring law and order during 1,100-1,200 campaign events daily. He assured that a comprehensive security plan is in place to ensure peaceful and fair elections on February 5.
The results, set to be declared on February 8, will determine whether the AAP retains power, the BJP breaks its losing streak, or the Congress makes an unexpected resurgence. With voter turnout expected to be a key factor, all eyes are now on Delhi’s electorate as they head to the polling booths on Wednesday.
