New Delhi, India (BBN)-After a slow start, polling for the 70 seats in Delhi assembly picked up around Saturday noon. Till 1pm, nearly 34% of the city’s 1.33 crore voters cast their ballot in an electrifying electoral battle that the national capital has never witnessed before, reports the Hindustan Times. Voters will decide whether to give Delhi a decisive mandate in favour of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- the two front runners -- or keep it a hung assembly even after a year of President's Rule.
The political temperature shot up on the polling day after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal alleged a certain party distributed liquor and cash a night ahead of polling.
Minutes later, he tweeted, “BJP candidate from Mangolpuri arrested for carrying liquor bottles in his car? Shudn't his candidature be cancelled? (sic)”.
Allegations flew thick and fast from the BJP camp as well. The party’s CM candidate, Kiran Bedi, alleged AAP workers
in Krishna Nagar -- a BJP bastion and Bedi’s constituency -- were forcing people not to vote for the BJP.
“Media is reporting selectively.. if the media is fair they must report this incident.”
Elections are taking place in Delhi after over a year. An AAP government led by Kejriwal stepped down from office in February 2014 after being in power for just 49 days.
On Saturday, both Bedi and Kejriwal exuded confidence about a victory in the crucial elections.
Kejriwal said: “...do cast your vote, you will certainly win”.
"I am confident that truth will win, people will win. And the people will vote this time to get rid of corruption and inflation."
Bedi, on her part, said, “Today is a historic day. Delhiites have to decide what kind of Delhi they want - a clean Delhi, a secure Delhi, a capable Delhi, a Delhi that respects women.
Respecting women is respecting Delhi. I appeal people to come out and vote.”
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who added thunder to the BJP's campaign in the national capital, also urged voters to come out and cast their ballot.
"As Delhi votes today (Saturday), urging voters to go out and vote in large numbers (sic)," the Prime Minister tweeted."I particularly call upon my young friends to vote in record numbers."
Vice president Hamid Ansari, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, AAP leader Kejriwal, BJP's Bedi and Union minister Harsh Vardhan were among the early voters.
On being asked about pre-poll surveys showing the AAP is ahead of the BJP, Vardhan said, "We have not seen that in reality. I am 100% confident that the BJP will win, and I don't want to comment on these poll surveys till the results come out."
Nupur Sharma, the BJP candidate from the New Delhi constituency who is fighting against AAP leader Kejriwal, said she was also "confident of BJP victory in Delhi".
Ajay Maken, Congress campaign chief for the Delhi assembly polls, was also among the early voters.
"The Congress can deliver on its promises in Delhi," Maken, contesting from the Sadar Bazar constituency, said.
"We have confined ourselves within raising real issues. Unlike other parties, we have not resorted to petty politics."
More than 12,000 polling stations, of which 714 have been identified as "critical" and 191 "highly critical" have been set up across the Capital.
Over 64,000 police personnel have been deployed across the city to ensure free and fair polls. As many as 673 candidates are in the fray.
BJP's LITMUS TEST
As successive opinion polls pointed in favour of the AAP, the BJP got all boots on the ground.
Twenty-two ministers, 120 MPs and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states were all in town for campaigning and taking charge of media briefings.
BJP president Amit Shah and his colleague Union minister Venkaiah Naidu have already urged the media not to judge the outcome of Delhi polls as a referendum on the Modi government.
Just nine months back, the Modi wave won the BJP all seven Lok Sabha seats and a 46% vote share in the Capital. At a rally in Dwarka, Modi exhorted voters to throw their lot with his "lucky" government.
Delhi's multiple jurisdictions may make a tempting case for electing the party in Delhi that rules at the Centre. Would Delhi want to ride his luck?
AAP UPBEAT
Delhi electorate would also decide if it has forgiven Kejriwal who it embraced with much love just 14 months ago.
His AAP made a spectacular debut in the Delhi assembly, winning 28 of the 70 seats by selling a strong brand of political activism.
All through the campaign this election, Kejriwal has been profusely apologising to the voters for abandoning the people's verdict.
Projecting himself as politician who is not afraid to admit he made a mistake, he has played an emotional card while his party quickly went back to the drawing board.
A second chance is always hard to come by, but if the opinion polls are anything to go by, AAP's mopping up efforts has worked.
The working class seems to be rooting for the party. The minority vote also seems to have slipped out of the Congress's hands.
CONGRESS STRUGGLING
For the grand old party, the fight is for survival, to remain politically relevant.
More than its own leadership, it is the BJP which is hoping against hope that the Congress does well. A split in minority and working class vote may hurt the AAP.
The contest remains tight. In the absence of a talking-point agenda, eventually it may come down to credibility, and therefore, again to personalities.
With political name-calling making daily headlines, who will Delhi trust to deliver is the big question the city voters will answer on Saturday. Let's hope it will be a clear mandate this time around.
BBN/AKG/AD-7Feb15-3:00pm (BST)