MCD Elections 2017: Polling began at 8 am for North corporation, East (EDMC) and South (SDMC)
Elections to the three municipal corporations in the national capital - North Delhi Municipal Corporation, East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) - were held today. The first three hours of voting saw a slow turnout. More than 1.3 crore people, including 1.1 lakh first-time voters, were expected to vote for 272 wards in the MCD polls. The polling was held across 13,022 booths in 770 premises. For the first time, None Of The Above (NOTA) option was made available to voters. Over 56,000 Delhi police personnel were deployed across the state. There are three main contenders in the MCD Elections 2017 are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress. The BJP, which won the last two civic polls, looks to continue its winning streak for a third consecutive term. Over 272 councillors will be elected in the polls.
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Poll of MCD exit polls: BJP clean sweep expected The BJP will make a clean sweep in Sunday's municipal elections in Delhi while the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress will lag far behind, said an exit poll.
Overall voter turnout recorded at 53 per cent, almost the same as 2012. Last time, the turnout was 53.9 per cent.
The official polling time for the Delhi municipal election ends
Independent Candidates Use School Bags, Air-Conditioners As Symbols
As residents voted across 272 wards for the 2017 municipal elections in the national capital, Delhi also witnessed a series of colourful and humorous symbols used by independent candidates, ranging from bat, pressure cooker, diamonds to school bags and auto-rickshaws.
Voting stands at 35 per cent till 2 pm.
Voting stands at 22.7 per cent till noon.
Voters queuing up at a polling booth in Chirag Delhi.
Voters in a few municipal wards faced problems as Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs at some polling booths did not work properly in the city, reports news agency PTI.
"This is a very big day for the people of Delhi. They can correct their mistake today," said Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari.
Over 10 per cent had voted till 10 am, according to the state Election Commission.
BJP lawmaker Meenakshi Lekhi to NDTV: Mr Kejriwal will ensure that chikungunya and dengue in the form of AAP and Congress will be wiped out today.
"We expect that voters will vote as per their conscience," said veteran Congress leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as she cast her vote in Nizamuddin East area.
"I think when Kejriwal had voted he must have checked the EVM," said BJP leader and Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel after voting in the MCD polls.
Elections in MCD East's Maujpur and MCD North's Sarai Pipal Thala postponed due to death of candidates.
1.16 per cent voting in the Delhi municipal polls till 10:30 AM.
Arvinder Singh Lovely, who recently joined BJP, returns from polling booth in East Azad Nagar in Delhi after the EVM was reportedly not working.
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken has cast his vote at a polling booth in Rajouri Garden in Delhi.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain casts his vote.
Delhi Chief Minister casts his vote for the MCD Elections.
MCD Election 2017: Voting Begins For Delhi Civic PollsVoting for Delhi Civic Polls began this morning for the 272 wards in which the ruling BJP is locked in a triangular battle with the Congress and the AAP. More than 1.3 crore people are eligible to vote in the Delhi civic elections, spread over 13,000 polling stations across the national capital.
Union Minister Dr.Harshvardhan after casting his vote in a polling booth in Krishna Nagar's Ratan Devi School
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal arrives with family members at a polling station to cast vote.
Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia with his wife after they cast their vote.
Delhi Lt.Governor Anil Baijal after casting his vote in a polling station in Greater Kailash-3: ANI
Voting begins across Delhi.
MCD Elections 2017: As Delhi Votes, All Eyes On Arvind Kejriwal's AAP - 10 PointsIn elections that rival parties have pegged as a report card of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's two-year-old Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, the national capital will vote for three municipal corporations today. The BJP has dominated the Municipal Corporation of Delhi - split into three some years ago - for a decade. The crucial civic elections saw a high-octane campaign by the three main players, the BJP, AAP and Congress.
All Poll Booths To Be 'Tobacco-Free' Zones
In a first in the country, the Delhi State Election Commission has declared all the 13,234 polling booths 'tobacco free'. The move comes after Delhi government's Health Department approached the State Election Commissioner urging him to declare all the polling stations as 'tobacco free zones' rather than just declaring them as 'smoke-free' as it used to be in earlier elections.
56,000 Personnel To Provide Security Cover For Delhi Civic PollsChief spokesperson of Delhi Police and special commissioner of police (Operations), Dependra Pathak said a total of 774 premises and 4,748 booths in the city are sensitive and hypersensitive. For hassle-free elections over 56,000 police and paramilitary personnel will be deployed.
There are three main contenders in the MCD Elections 2017 are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress. The BJP, which won the last two civic polls, looks to continue its winning streak for a third consecutive term. Over 272 councillors will be elected in the election.
For the first time, None Of The Above (NOTA) option will be available to voters.
More than 1.3 crore people, including 1.1 lakh first-time voters, are expected to vote for 272 wards in the MCD polls.