Out of the 699 candidates in the fray, 555 (79.39 per cent) candidates forfeited their deposits in the February 5 polls. It was a sorry state of affairs for the Congress that not only drew a blank in terms of seats for a third time in a row, but 67 of its candidates also lost their security deposits. The Congress, which ruled Delhi for three consecutive terms till 2013, had fielded candidates in all 70 constituencies.

Only three Congress candidates — Abhishek Dutt from Kasturba Nagar, the only leader from the party to finish second, Rohit Choudhary from Nangloi Jat and Devendra Yadav from Badli — managed to save their security deposits. Shifa-ur-Rehman Khan of AIMIM, which contested two seats, also managed to save his security deposit in Okhla.

According to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, any candidate from the general category contesting an election is required to deposit Rs 10,000 with the Election Commission as a security deposit. For candidates from Scheduled Castes and Tribes, the amount required to be deposited is Rs 5,000.

According to electoral law, the deposit will have to be forfeited if the candidate is not elected and the number of valid votes polled by him or her does not exceed one-sixth of the total number of valid votes polled by all the candidates.

The BJP returned to power in Delhi after more than 26 years, winning 48 of the 70 assembly seats while the AAP won 22 seats.

After an over-a-month-long, high-octane election campaign, the people of the national capital are waiting for the results, which will be declared on Saturday. In the 2025 Assembly polls, Delhi witnessed a tough three-cornered battle between the ruling AAP, the BJP, and the Congress.

The voting for the high-stakes Assembly election took place on Wednesday, February 5, with the AAP eyeing a third straight term, banking on its governance record and welfare schemes, while the BJP and the Congress look at resurgence. As many as 699 candidates are in the fray. The Delhi Assembly elections saw a voter turnout of 60.54 per cent, with 94,51,997 people casting their votes on Wednesday, according to the Election Commission of India.

Of the voters who exercised their franchise, 50.42 lakh were men while 44.08 lakh were women. Also, 403 third-gender voters participated in the polling process. The counting of votes will take place on Saturday. In the 2020 polls, Delhi recorded a turnout of 62.59 per cent while only 56 per cent of the voters in the national capital participated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

All arrangements are in place for the counting process. Voting was held in Delhi on February 5. DCP West Delhi Vichitra Veer talked about security arrangements at the counting centre near Tihar Jail. “Three-layered security is deployed outside the strong rooms. We have identified the sensitive spots, and we are planning flag marches in those areas to give a message that sufficient force is available and we are committed to maintaining peace in the area… There will be some restrictions on the movement of vehicles around the areas of the counting centres,” he said.

Exit polls have predicted that BJP will win a comfortable victory in the polls with AAP falling behind and Congress continuing its dismal show. AAP leaders, however, said that exit polls have always predicted the party winning fewer seats than it gets. They expressed confidence in the party returning to power.

Key seats include New Delhi, where AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is in the fray against Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit and Parvesh Verma of BJP.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is facing a contest from BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress candidate Alka Lamba. The campaign saw sharp exchanges between leaders of the three parties.

The AAP dominated the 2020 assembly elections by winning 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP got eight seats. Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and has failed to win any seats.

Highlighting the impact of the welfare schemes given by the AAP government in Delhi, Kejriwal asserted that every household in the national capital saves an average of Rs 25,000 a month. He further emphasized that if the party returns to power, its new initiatives will add another Rs 10,000 to people’s savings, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday.

“Our volunteers will reach out to people and get them to fill the ‘Bachat Patra,’ in which they will note how much they are saving through our free welfare initiatives,” the former Delhi CM said during the launch of the ‘Bachat Patra’ campaign.

Under the AAP government’s policies, an average Delhi family saves Rs 25,000 per month, and if people bring the party back to power by pressing the button against the ‘jhadhu’ (broom—AAP’s election symbol), then its new schemes will add another Rs 10,000 to this. He said schemes like free bus travel for students, Mahila Samman Yojana, and Sanjeevani Yojana, all proposed in the AAP’s manifesto, are among such initiatives.

With the Union Budget set to be presented on February 1, Kejriwal contrasted the AAP’s policies with the BJP’s approach. “Budgets usually bring inflation and impact household finances. But in Delhi, our government ensures savings for every family. On the other hand, the BJP has repeatedly said it will discontinue these benefits if it comes to power,” he claimed. He also accused the BJP of diverting public funds to benefit its corporate allies.

“We use the budget for the welfare of people while the BJP directs it towards its businessman friends. In Mumbai, they handed over Dharavi land to one of their associates. In Delhi, their goal is to grab land and not to serve people,” he said.

Delhi is set to go to polls on February 5, and counting of votes will take place on February 8. In the upcoming polls, the national capital is set to witness a three-cornered battle. AAP is seeking a third consecutive term in office while the BJP is attempting to regain power in the national capital for the first time since 1998.

(With agency Inputs)

While addressing a public gathering in Mangolpuri Assembly Constituency, Yogi Adityanath attacked the AAP and said that the party will soon be ousted from the national capital and freed of its sins.  

“When I was coming from Ghaziabad to Delhi today. Yamuna ji, which was once a symbol of faith for all of us, there was a foul smell coming from there, it smelled like sewer. The people who have suffered the sins of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi will be freed of their sins soon…There is only one way to get rid of this, a BJP government should be formed in Delhi as well,” the UP CM said.

#WATCH | Delhi: While addressing a public gathering in Mangolpuri Assembly Constituency, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath says “…When I was coming from Ghaziabad to Delhi today. Yamuna ji, which was once a symbol of faith for all of us, there was a foul smell coming from there,… pic.twitter.com/jZVqtYTRkN — ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2025

Fresh claims from Yogi Adityanath come a day after the AAP accused the Haryana government of draining industrial waste into the Yamuna river. 

On Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi accused the ruling BJP in Haryana of “intentionally” draining industrial waste into the Yamuna, an act that she termed “water terrorism”, prompting AAP supremo Kejriwal to allege that the saffron party is trying to kill people by mixing “poison” in the river.

The AAP leaders’ fresh accusation escalated the ongoing war of words between the Kejriwal-led party and the BJP ahead of the Delhi election.

Hitting back at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said it is their old habit of blaming others and then running away, while asserting that the people of Delhi will teach them a lesson in the February 5 Assembly polls.

Delhi is set to go to polls on February 5 and the votes will be counted on February 8. The national capital is set to witness a three-cornered fight between the ruling AAP, the BJP and the Congress. The AAP is seeking a third term in power while the BJP and the Congress are going all out against the ruling party to oust it from the national capital. 

(With PTI Inputs)

Talking to reporters in Patna, Paswan stated that the party’s objective is to strengthen the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the national capital. He highlighted that his party would focus on contesting in constituencies where its candidates have a strong chance of winning. By doing so, the party aims to complement the NDA’s efforts and reinforce its overall standing in Delhi. 

“Lok Janshakti Party’s (Ram Vilas) policy is focused on strengthening the NDA alliance by contesting only on seats where victory is certain and will contribute to the alliance’s success. Similar to our approach in Jharkhand, winnability will take precedence over the number of seats. We will field candidates only in constituencies where the LJP (Ram Vilas) has a stronghold. Our goal is to maintain a high strike rate, not dilute it by contesting unnecessary seats. We will carefully choose seats that ensure our chances of winning,” Paswan said. 

He further quashed the reports suggesting that the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) had made specific demands for any particular seat in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. 

#WATCH | Patna, Bihar | On Delhi Assembly elections, Union Minister Chirag Paswan says, “…Lok Janshakti Party’s (Ram Vilas) policy is to strengthen the alliance (NDA) and to contest elections on only those seats where victory will strengthen the alliance (NDA). We will take… pic.twitter.com/ZOf6BkGHo2

Paswan also launched a scathing attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of “insulting” people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh (Purvanchal). Paswan claimed that this sentiment will influence voters in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, predicting a clear victory for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). 

“Jis tarah dilli ke log trahi trahi kar rahe hai… Kejriwal aur AAP ke jhoothe vaadon se (Th people of Delhi are calling for mercy against the false promises made by AAP and Kejriwal), especially people from Bihar and eastern UP (Purvanchal)… Kejriwal has insulted the people of Bihar by calling them ‘fake’. Just to win elections, he has labelled people from UP and Bihar as ‘fake’ (voters). Delhi will vote while keeping this in mind and BJP-led NDA will form the government,” Paswan said during his remarks. 

The Election Commission has announced that the Delhi Assembly elections will be conducted in a single phase on February 5, with the counting of votes scheduled for February 8. 

Candidates intending to contest the polls must file their nominations by January 17, following which scrutiny of the nominations will take place on January 18. The final date for withdrawing candidature has been set for January 20. 

Kejriwal further alleged that the BJP has internally decided on former South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri as its chief ministerial face. Bidhuri, who was overlooked for a ticket in the Lok Sabha elections, is fielded against Delhi Chief Minister Atishi in the high-stakes Kalkaji constituency. 

Reacting to former chief minister Kejriwal’s charge, BJP’s Amit Shah accused AAP of manipulating public perception and spreading bogus claims. ” Can Arvind Kejriwal declare the CM face of BJP? Who is he to make such claims,” Union home Minister said at the ‘Slum Dwellers’ conference here. 

#WATCH | Delhi: Speaking at the ‘Slum Dwellers’ conference, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, “Congress and ‘AAP-da’ cannot benefit the people of Delhi. Only the BJP can benefit them…They are making promises every day just for the sake of the vote bank. Can Arvind Kejriwal… pic.twitter.com/ZDNZWeoPAT — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2025

Shah further emphasised, “After the formation of the BJP government in Delhi, not a single welfare scheme for the poor will be stopped.” He urged the public to show trust in BJP’s manifesto and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantees. 

“The BJP has listened to the pain, inconvenience and anger of the slum dwellers against the broken promises. They have made a list of all your problems and given it to BJP national president JP Nadda and Prime Minister Modi. Our manifesto will provide you relief from all your problems. The BJP manifesto is the guarantee of Prime Minister Modi. The BJP manifesto is not like the manifesto of ‘AAP-Da’. We do what we say,” ANI quotes Amit Shah as saying. 

Speaking at AAP’s press conference on Saturday, Kejriwal had cited his internal sources and alleged, “We are getting information that Ramesh Bidhuri’s name will be officially announced (as BJP CM face) in the coming one or two days. I congratulate Ramesh Bidhuri on becoming the CM face of the BJP.” 

“Ramesh Bidhuri should tell what he did for the development of Delhi while being an MP. What is his vision for Delhi? …After the official announcement of his name, there should be a debate between the CM candidates of the BJP and AAP in front of the people of Delhi,” he said. 

In another major development, BJP released its second list of 29 candidates for the Delhi Assembly elections, set to take place on February 5. The votes will be counted, and the results announced on February 8.