New Delhi:
The election process in Delhi started today with the issue of gazette notification by Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. The candidates can now start filing their nominations from today till November 16.
After scrutiny of nominations on November 18, candidates can withdraw their candidatures latest by November 20.
Delhi goes to polls on December 4 and the counting will take place on December 8.
A total of 1.15 crore voters in the national capital will exercise their franchise to elect the 70-member state Assembly, with 12 assembly seats reserved for Scheduled Castes.
The Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government in Delhi is seeking fourth consecutive stint in power, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are posing a serious challenge to it.
The Election Commission (EC) will set up 11,763 polling booths in the capital for voters to elect the new assembly. The term of the present Delhi assembly ends on December 17.
The Commission has also deployed 70 general observers, 18 expenditure observers and two police observers to ensure free and fair polling in the capital.
The EC has for the first time also deployed three awareness observers to oversee the efficient and effective management of the electoral process at the field level mainly in the field of voter awareness and facilitation and will help ensure increase voter participation.
Voters in Delhi will also exercise for the first time the "None of the Above" (NOTA) option in these elections.