NEW DELHI: Delhi will go to the polls on February 5 for a crucial Assembly election, where voters will decide whether to extend the ten-year rule of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), bring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) back to power after 27 years, or revive the Congress party’s relevance in the capital’s political landscape.
The counting of votes will take place on February 8, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar announced during a press conference. This will be Kumar’s final election announcement before his retirement next month.
The Election Commission will issue the notification for the election on January 10, with the deadline for filing nominations set for January 17. The last date for withdrawal of candidacies is January 20. Delhi has a total of 1.55 crore voters, including 83.49 lakh men, 71.74 lakh women, and 1,261 transgender individuals.
Kumar also revealed that there are 2.08 lakh first-time voters (18-19 years old), while 25.89 lakh voters fall in the 20-29 age group. Additionally, there are 830 voters over the age of 100 and 1.09 lakh voters aged above 85 years.The term of the current Assembly is set to end on February 23.
Kumar further stated that the Election Commission would write to the Cabinet Secretary, urging the government not to introduce any Delhi-specific provisions in the Union Budget that could create an uneven playing field in the election. The Budget is expected to be presented on February 1.
The announcement follows the Election Commission’s release of the Special Summary Revision (SSR) 2025 of electoral rolls, which shows a current voter base of 1.67 crore for the Assembly elections.
This election is seen as critical for the AAP, BJP, and Congress, with each party aiming to secure its future stake in Delhi’s politics. AAP seeks another term based on its achievements, though recent corruption scandals have impacted its image. The BJP, on the other hand, is leveraging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to woo voters, with Modi referring to AAP’s rule as "AAPda" (disaster) and targeting former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directly.
For Congress, this election is crucial for survival, as the party failed to win a single seat in both the 2015 and 2020 Assembly elections. AAP has already announced candidates for all 70 seats, including 24 new faces, while Congress has announced 48 candidates and BJP 29.
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