A total of 1.5 crore eligible Delhi voters sealed the fate of 699 candidates in the Assembly election on Wednesday to pick a new 70-member House with the turnout hovering around 60 per cent till reports last came in at 6 p.m., an official said.

The results will be declared on February 8.

The turnout touched 57.70 per cent by 5 p.m. with the ruling AAP eyeing a fourth straight win and the BJP putting up a tough fight to return to power after 1998.

The 11-hour voting remained largely peaceful while some sporadic complaints of bogus voting and model code violation continued to be made throughout the day.

The turnout in the 2020 Delhi Assembly election stood at 62.82 per cent, 4.65 per cent lower than 67.47 per cent in 2015.

Voting to pick a new 70-member Delhi Assembly continued peacefully on Wednesday as the turnout touched 57.70 per cent till 5 p.m. with the ruling AAP eyeing a fourth straight win and the BJP putting up a tough fight to return to power after 1998.

As the turnout continued to rise after a slow start, there were allegations of a model code violation after a brief commotion at a polling booth in Seelampur where a bogus voter was caught casting a vote on someone else’s identity. The incident occurred at Aryan Public School, Booth Level Officer, Seelampur, Gayatri, said.

BJP nominee from the seat, Anil Gaur, accused the rival Congress and the AAP of bringing 300-400 fake voters from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday reiterated his demand for a nationwide caste census, arguing that Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and tribals have insufficient representation in India’s power structure across sectors like education, health, corporate, business, and judiciary.

Speaking at an event in Patna on the occasion of birth anniversary of freedom fighter Jaglal Chaudhary, Rahul Gandhi criticised the current system, stating: "Dalits have been given representation, but due to lack of actual participation in the power structure, it means nothing."

Rahul Gandhi emphasised that conducting a caste census is necessary to ensure fair representation in governance, business, and administration.

In a powerful demonstration of public support, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann conducted four roadshows and one Jansabha in Delhi on Saturday, rallying for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates ahead of the February 5 elections. Mann's campaign traversed the assembly constituencies of Madipur, Hari Nagar, Janakpuri, and Palam through roadshows, and culminated in a Jansabha at Chandni Chowk.

CM Mann received an overwhelming response at Shivaji Vihar in the Madipur constituency. Addressing the crowd, Mann lauded AAP's candidate Rakhi Bidlan as "a true soldier of Arvind Kejriwal's army." He urged the public to press the broom symbol on EVM and ensure AAP's victory.

“Arvind Kejriwal is the only leader who delivers on his promises. We don't tell 'jumlas'; we act on our words. On February 5, your responsibility ends with pressing the broom button, and ours begins to fulfill every promise,” said Mann.

He emphasized the need to reject corrupt politics, stating, “These parties will distribute money to buy votes. Take the money, but vote for honesty and development by supporting AAP.”

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the Centre over the Union Budget 2025, labelling it as "a band-aid for bullet wounds". He pointed out that amid global economic uncertainty, addressing India’s economic crisis required a "paradigm shift" but the current government, according to him, is "bankrupt of ideas".

Rahul Gandhi expressed his dissatisfaction with the government's approach in a post on X.

The Congress earlier flayed the Union Budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.

The grand old party claimed the Budget failed to address key economic issues such as stagnant real wages, lack of buoyancy in mass consumption, sluggish private investment rates, and a complex Goods and Services Tax (GST) system.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday said it was unfortunate that the Union Budget 2025-26 did not go in for inclusive development of the nation and concentrated on poll-bound states even as he asserted the agricultural economy had been put in peril by ignoring all the demands of farmers including providing a legal guarantee on MSP.

Giving his reaction to the Budget, Badal said: "It is unfortunate that the focus was on Bihar and Assam which go to the polls this year even as an important state like Punjab has been completely ignored."

He said it was unfortunate that the government had failed to earmark funds for ensuring minimum support price (MSP) on all crops as per the assurance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi four years back. He said similarly no funds were earmarked for a comprehensive farm loan waiver which was needed across the country keeping in mind the distress in the agriculture sector.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday slammed former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal over the quality of Yamuna water, saying no work had been done in Delhi over the past 10 years.

He also accused Kejriwal of resorting to cheap politics to cover up his failures.

“For the last decade, Kejriwal has forced the people of Delhi to drink contaminated water,” Saini said.

Chief Minister Saini, while presenting water samples from both Haryana and Delhi to the media at Yamuna Ghat in Wazirabad, emphasised the significant difference between the two.

He said in Delhi, polluted water is being dumped into the Yamuna.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann continued his campaign trail in Delhi on Friday, leading three roadshows in Kondli, Rohtas Nagar, and Gokalpur, and addressing two powerful Jansabhas in Badarpur. The campaign exuded AAP's commitment to clean governance, development, and accountability, with CM Mann directly addressing voters' concerns and exposing the political tactics of rival parties.

Speaking at Kondli, CM Mann condemned the Election Commission (EC) for ignoring blatant violations by BJP while unfairly targeting AAP. "BJP leaders are shamelessly distributing money, jackets, shoes, and sarees, yet the EC raids my residence Kapoorthala House in Delhi. They found nothing because we don’t distribute money; we distribute love. And with this love, we win,” declared Mann.

Highlighting AAP's clean politics, Mann contrasted AAP's pro-people policies with BJP’s exploitative strategies: “There are two sides—those who promote education and development, and those who thrive on hatred and division. Delhi must choose education over enmity, progress over propaganda.”

At Rohtas Nagar, Mann emphasized AAP’s track record of development and integrity under Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. “People across Delhi are saying, ‘Phir layeinge Kejriwal’ because he’s your brother, your son, and has always worked for you. When the BJP tries to buy your vote, take their money but press the button of 'jharoo'!"

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha led a massive roadshow in the Rajendra Nagar Assembly constituency on Friday, seeking support for party candidate Durgesh Pathak. The event witnessed an overwhelming response filled with energy and enthusiasm. Raghav Chadha reminded the people that this was the very seat where he once served as an MLA, and this time, he was seeking their votes for Durgesh Pathak.

Huge Crowd in Rajendra Nagar, people showered flowers at Every Turn
On Friday, the streets of Rajendra Nagar Assembly were flooded with AAP flags and echoes of party slogans. Thousands of people gathered to greet MP Raghav Chadha, showering him with flower petals and chanting slogans in support of party. The atmosphere was electric as Chadha warmly interacted with the people, touching the feet of elderly residents to seek their blessings for victory. 

Raghav Chadha expressed his deep connection to Rajendra Nagar, stating it's his birthplace, workplace, and a place he's fortunate to return to. He acknowledged the constituency for giving him the opportunity to serve as a legislator. Today, I am here to seek votes for Durgesh Pathak. When the 2025 Assembly election results come out, this seat will be our first victory."

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab leaders have sharply reacted to the raid by the Election Commission on the official residence of Punjab Chief Minister at Kapoorthala House in Delhi. The AAP leaders strongly criticized the incident and described it as an action driven by vengeance.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted, stating, "Today, a team from the Election Commission along with Delhi Police reached my house Kapoorthala House in Delhi to conduct a raid. BJP is openly distributing money in Delhi, but the Delhi Police and Election Commission are turning a blind eye. No action is being taken against them. In a way, Delhi Police and Election Commission are defaming Punjabis at BJP's behest. This is highly condemnable."

AAP Punjab President Aman Arora said that BJP is afraid of losing and is trying to spoil the election atmosphere. He mentioned that BJP leader Pravesh Verma is continuously distributing money, but the Election Commission has not taken any action against him. He stated that this action is being taken at the behest of the BJP.