The nomination process for all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and one Lok Sabha seat in neighboring Gurgaon will begin on Monday. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a notification for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections and voting is scheduled to be held on May 25.
Candidates may deliver their nomination documents to the returning officer from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., except Sundays. Candidates will be vetted on May 7th and have until May 9th to withdraw their nominations. Votes will be counted on June 4th.
As of February 1, 2024, there are 14.7 million voters in the capital, including approximately 8 million men, 6.7 million women, and 1,176 people of the third gender. In the last election, the city’s turnout was 60.60%, lower than the national average of 67%.
The seven Lok Sabha constituencies in the national capital are New Delhi, South Delhi, East Delhi, West Delhi, Chandni Chowk, North West Delhi and North East Delhi. Among the seven constituencies, New Delhi has the smallest number of voters at 1.48 million, while West Delhi has the largest number of voters at 2.49 million.
The population of Gurgaon is over 2,546,916, of which 1,347,521 are male, 1,199,317 female and 78 of third gender.
Delhi to vote on key issues
A direct showdown between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) awaits in the capital. All previous elections have been triangular, so this will be the first time that there will be a direct showdown between the two political blocs in the national capital since AAP emerged as a political force in 2012.
As part of the seat-sharing agreement between AAP and Congress, AAP will contest four seats in New Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi and East Delhi and four seats in Congress, North East, Chandni Chowk and North West.
Officials at the Delhi Election Office said notifications will be published in newspapers on Monday morning and filing of candidates will begin at 10 am on Monday.
“Almost all the basic preparations for conducting the polls have been completed, including training of polling officials, making necessary arrangements to ensure peace and cleanliness by committing the necessary troops to carry out the polls, forming flying units, and forming statistical monitoring teams. It has been completed. Arrangements are also being made to facilitate and support voting,” said a poll committee official.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s South Delhi Lok Sabha seat candidate Ranbir Singh Bidhuri said he would file his nomination on May 3. “Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Delhi BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva and other leaders will also be considered candidates along with me,” Bidhuri said. He said.
Delhi BJP leader Virendra said Yogendra Chandria, the BJP’s northwestern candidate, will file nominations on Monday, New Delhi candidate Bansuri Swaraj on Tuesday and East Delhi candidate Harsh Malhotra on Wednesday. Sachdeva said.
The main issue in the Lok Sabha elections is the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia on corruption charges in the Delhi Excise Policy case. AAP has focused its entire election campaign on Kejriwal’s arrest and has appealed to people to vote for the alliance.
Furthermore, the AAP state government and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government are locked in a dispute over various governance issues, including water supply, sewerage flooding and the poor state of infrastructure in unauthorized colonies, which are also the subject of polls. Conflict continues.
Allegations of electoral bond fraud are a key pillar of AAP’s campaign. AAP will focus on development and welfare work, including free services and commitments to: INR$1,000 per month in financial assistance to women. The BJP is seeking votes for development works being undertaken at the Center by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The BJP is trying to focus on various infrastructure developments in the national capital.
read more: Sunita Kejriwal holds roadshow for AAP’s West Delhi candidates
Gurugram aims to increase voter turnout
Gurugram authorities sought to emphasize that senior citizens above 85 years of age and people with disabilities above 40% can vote from their homes. Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav said on Sunday that there are 50,000 such voters.
“This facility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities will be provided for the first time as per the directions of ECI. Block level officials will visit the voters within 5 days of notification of election and submit Form 12-D It is the prerogative of the voters to choose this facility. Otherwise, they can visit the booth,” Yadav said.
According to the district administration, 35,559 voters in Gurgaon constituency are above 85 years of age and 15,231 voters are defined by the government as “disabled”.
Meanwhile, Rao Inderjit Singh, the sitting MP from Gurgaon and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s parliamentary candidate, is scheduled to file his candidature in the presence of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday. Inderjit Singh will address a public meeting at Civil Lines Gurugram Club before filing his candidature. Mr Singh has won the Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat five times and is seeking re-election for his sixth time.
Yadav said increasing public participation is the key to a strong democracy and he has taken multiple steps to ensure it. “We will help the elderly and infirm to vote from home. There are over 11,000 service voters who can vote by electronically submitted postal ballot. Essential service providers will have the right to vote in Gurgaon. If you have one, you can vote from any booth in the constituency,” he said.
Yadav said polling stations have been set up in 52 apartment blocks to increase voter participation and voting numbers in urban areas. “We will ensure that voters have access to shelter, drinking water and utilities at all polling stations. Civil Defense and NCC volunteers will be deployed to assist voters, as well as medical units.” said.
When asked about instances where Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) threatened to boycott elections, Yadav said he would reach out to such people and resolve civic issues. “We appeal to city dwellers not to link local issues with Lok Sabha elections because voting is a very special right and people must exercise it to strengthen democracy. “We will reach out to them and encourage them to participate in this democratic exercise that takes place once every five years,” he said.
Sector 38 RWA initially threatened to boycott the elections citing civic issues, but later Sushant Lok 2 and South City residents also decided to follow suit.
Yadav said he has appointed an election and expenditure monitor to monitor the activities of candidates and their supporters to curb election irregularities and irregularities.
The DC said special teams have been deployed and checkpoints have been set up to prevent illegal inter- and intra-state movement of cash, liquor and drugs. “We have also directed candidates to ensure that rallies and rallies are held at designated locations. For nominations, candidates can only be accompanied by four other people at the election office,” he said. said.
The district administration will also set up special categories of booths, including pink booths for women, youth booths for people under 30 to carry out election campaigns, and booths for people with disabilities.
