Top Election Body Officials Meet Over Dates For Delhi Polls, Due By February 22

The Chief Election Commissioner and other top officials are meeting to decide the dates for the election to the Delhi assembly, due before February 22, sources said. Campaigning for the election to the 70-member assembly has already started, with leaders of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP and the Congress meeting people and launching resident-focused programmes.

It will be a major test for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose relatively new party hasn't seen much success in the national elections in 2014 and 2019, despite its top performance in the Delhi election in 2015.

The BJP is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election-winning formula to take Delhi.

Housing, education and demand for statehood are some of the big issues in Delhi.

The Aam Aadmi Party needs to set a target of winning more seats in the upcoming election than it won in the 2015 polls when it secured 67 of the 70 assembly seats, Mr Kejriwal told party members last week.

"There is just over a month left for assembly elections in Delhi and since Delhi is party's base from where it started we have to strongly fight the election," he told party members at the eighth national council meeting.

"Our target is also very big. Last time, we won 67 seats and this time, we should not get less than that but more than that number," he said amid slogans of "70 out of 70" by party members.

The AAP will fight this election in collaboration with election strategist Prashant Kishor's consultancy firm I-PAC.