New Delhi: The Assembly elections in Delhi will take place in a single phase on February 5, and the votes will be counted on February 8, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar announced on Tuesday.
As per the election commission, the notification will be issued on 10th January, 2025, and the last date of nomination will be 17th January, 2025. The last date of withdrawal of candidates is on 20th January.
Announcing the poll dates in a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, "The Election Commission will ensure a strict crackdown on the use of money power in Delhi elections, and proper checking of everyone will be conducted, said CEC Rajiv Kumar.
“India is a gold standard of elections; it’s a shared legacy for all of us, including all political parties,” he added.
There are 1.55 crore voters in Delhi as of January 6, 2025, including 83.49 lakh male voters and 71.74 lakh female voters, and 25.89 lakh young voters, CEC Rajiv Kumar said.
There are a total of 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi, including 58 general seats and 12 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes.
There are 79,436 PWD voters, 830 centenarians, 1,261 transgender voters, and 1.09 lakh voters over 85 years voters.
The term of the Delhi Assembly ends on February 23, 2025.
Rebutting the allegations of certain opposition parties regarding EVM tampering, Chief Election Commissioner said, “There is no question of introducing a virus or bug in the EVM. There is no question of invalid votes in the EVM. No rigging is possible. High courts and the Supreme Court are continuously saying this in different judgments. EVMs are foolproof devices for counting. Allegations of tampering are baseless,” said Rajiv Kumar.
Over the allegations of last minute voter turnout, he said, "It is impossible to change voter turnout data; a misconceived narrative is being spread on the increase in voting after 5 p.m...Courts have ruled on 42 occasions that EVMs are not hackable, allegations of tampering totally baseless, he further said.
Addressing the concerns raised by political parties over the electoral process, Rajiv Kumar said, “30 state polls have been done since 2020; in 15 states, different parties are the biggest parties. It is one reflection of the fairness of Indian elections....“Process can't be judged by results,” he said.
CEC Rajiv Kumar announced that India is making a landmark in terms of the electoral roll.
"We released electoral rolls recently; we are crossing 99 crore voters, and we are going to be a nation of 1 billion voters very soon. This is a world record in the making," Kumar said.
