The Elections Commission of India has officially announced that on February 5, 2025, the Delhi Assembly elections will take place in a single phase and on February 8, the counting of votes will occur. This gives rise to yet another contention in the capital, where all 70 seats in the Delhi Legislative Assembly will properly be contended.
Election schedule and model code of conduct
The elections would be notified formally on January 10, 2025. Candidates can file nominations until January 17 and scrutiny would take place on January 18. The last date for withdrawal of this nomination is January 20.
The Model Code of Conduct comes into immediate effect with the announcement of the election schedule, providing political parties with an operating code to ensure that political campaigns are conducted in accordance with recognized guidelines in order to maintain the sanctity of the electoral process.
Political ground and major contestants
This time, it will be a triangular contest amid Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BJP), and Indian National Congress (INC). AAP had won 62 out of 70 seats in the 2020 elections, while BJP secured 8 seats, with the Congress not winning any.
AAP chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been in charge since 2020. The incumbent government AAP will try to keep in power, emphasizing its record on good sense in education, health care, and public services.
The BJP ruled at the center is now working hard to increase its hold on Delhi with national issues as well local development. The Congress will try nevertheless to regain its foothold in the political arena of the capital, irrespective of its dismal showings earlier on.
Security Protocols
Delhi’s constituency is wide-ranging, including a considerable population of young voters, professionals, and migrant labour. The election commission has placed a strong emphasis on voter participation and initiated campaigns to instill fair and informed voting practices among the masses.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated that “Delhi will vote with heart and enthusiasm,” emphasizing the importance of active engagement with the democratic processes. The ECI outlined comprehensive security arrangements in order to offer free and fair elections.
These measures included the deployment of central armed police forces to the polling stations, maintaining strict surveillance of all active election personnel in real time, including the rapid response teams to address any unforeseen incidents.
Furthermore, the Election Commission reaffirmed the reliability of EVMs, to which Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, “The EVM is safe and reliable.”
Voter Facilitation
The Election Commission has set out guidelines to ensure the safety of voters, polling personnel and other stakeholders in light of the concerns surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Steps include sanitization of polling stations, provision of personal protective equipment by the authorities for polling personnel, social-distancing measures among voters at the polling station, and providing hand sanitizers to all voters.
Special considerations were made for COVID-positive plasmas to vote through postal votes, including undertaking the polls at a different time upon request. The ECI has also begun implementing awareness programs—such programs will include messages about safety protocols and encourage citizen participation.
The Delhi Assembly elections in 2025 will be keenly focused on the electoral promises of the contesting parties, the effectiveness of the ECI arrangements, and the active willingness of the electorate, because of the importance of these elections in deciding who will govern Delhi for the next five years and reflecting the current public mood on governance and development in Delhi.
