Delhi polls: 5.64% voter turnout till 10 a.m.

New Delhi: An estimated 5.64 per cent of 1.47 crore eligible voters have exercised their franchise till 10 a.m. on Saturday in the election for 70 Delhi Assembly seats.

Polling began at 8 a.m. amid tight security arrangements with long queues seen in several polling stations to seal the fate of 672 candidates in the fray to elect a new government. The estimated turnout for North West Delhi till 10 a.m. was 5.80 per cent, according to the Voter Turnout App.

While North East Delhi recorded 5.19 per cent, South 6.71 per cent, Central 3.95 per cent, East 4.94 per cent and West 4.61 per cent, the app said, adding south-west Delhi registered zero per cent turnout. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union ministers Harsh Vardhan and S. Jaishankar were among various MPs, including controversial BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, who cast their votes early morning along with their families.

Polling will end at 6 p.m. and the results for the elections will be announced on February 11. In the election, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is making a bid to return to power, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking to get its Chief Minister in Delhi after 20 years. The Congress, which had ruled Delhi for 15 years, is expecting a resurgence in its vote share.

The Election Commission has identified 516 locations and 3,704 polling booths as critical voting stations where paramilitary forces have been deployed. Activities at each polling station are being monitored through webcasting.

The police have deployed around 40,000 security personnel, 19,000 home guards and 190 companies of Central Armed Police Forces to ensure smooth conduct of the polls.