LS elections Delhi: Penultimate phase welcomed by all parties

New Delhi: The seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will go to polls on May 12 in the sixth phase of the seven-phase 2019 general election, giving around two months' time for political parties to reach out to the voters, an opportunity welcomed by all major players in the national capital.

According to the final electoral roll published on January 18 by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), there are over 1.36 crore voters in Delhi. Delhi Congress president and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit said the announcement of poll dates is a "great beginning" for the party.

"It is important how you use this time. We welcome the poll schedule. It is a great beginning for the Congress. We will have more time like others to reach out to the voters," Dikshit told PTI.

The AAP, which has already announced its candidates for six of the seven seats in Delhi, also welcomed the announcement and termed it an opportunity to throw out the BJP government at the Centre.

"Ultimately back to We the people -the real power of our democracy. Time to throw out the most dictatorial and anti-federal govt in the history of India. Time to seek answers on demonetisation, jobs, destruction of traders n destroying brotherhood amongst different communities," AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari also welcomed the poll schedule, saying it will give his party enough time to "expose" how the AAP and Congress governments "ruined" the city in the past two decades.

"We expected Delhi to go for voting in the first phase. But, the sixth phase voting in Delhi will give us enough time to reach out to voters with achievements of the Modi government and how the Congress and the AAP ruined the city," he said.

The Congress is in the process of shortlisting its candidates for the seven Lok Sabha seats in the city, even as speculations on its alliance with the AAP refuse to die down.

Dikshit on last Tuesday met Rahul Gandhi and announced that there was unanimity in the party against alliance with AAP. Sources said the list of Delhi BJP candidates is expected to be announced around first week of April.