Stage set for polling in Delhi elections tomorrow

New Delhi, Nov 28 (UNI) The Chief Electoral Office today said massive security arrangements are in place to ensure peaceful polling in 69 out of 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi tomorrow.

More than 51,000 security personnel are being deployed for the purpose, said Delhi CEO Satbir Silas Bedi at a press conference here.

Claiming that campaigning was more or less peaceful, she said instances of bootlegging topped the list of complaints with a number of bootleggers apprehended. Hardly three incidents of violence relating to political rivalry.

Extra forces will be deployed at 346 hyper-sensitive and 1,218 sensitive polling booths, she said.

A total of 10.5 million voters, including 4.7 million women, are eligible to decide the electoral fortunes of 863 candidates.

Election to the Rajinder Nagar seat has been postponed to December 13 following the sudden demise of BJP candidate and sitting MLA Puran Chand Yogi.

Among the main players, while the Congress is contesting all the seats, the BJP is in the fray in 68 constituencies, including three where its ally Akali Dal candidates are fighting the polls on BJP's symbol lotus.

The Bahujan Samaj Party, which is trying to open its account in the Delhi Assembly, is contesting all the 69 seats going to the polls.

While NCP is in the fray in 15, RJD is in eleven, CPI in five and CPI-M in four apart from 353 independents.

New Delhi, from where Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is seeking re-election, has a maximum of 25 candidates. It also has ten women in the fray, the highest number of women candidates.

Ghonda with just three candidates, has the least number of candidates.

Ms Bedi said 10,676 main polling stations and 316 auxilliary polling stations have been set up to enable voters to cast their votes.

A total of 13,390 electronic voting machines have been made available, which will also carry a strip in Braille containing details about the candidates in the fray. Second ballot unit will be used in ten constituencies where the number of candidates exceed 16.

About 72,801 officials are being deployed to conduct the polling.

of whom 1,138 are micro observers. Voter assistance booths have been set up at all the polling premises to assist the voters, which 5803 officials will be deployed.

While enforcing the Model Code of Conduct, the CEO said 16,808 hoardings, 9369 banners have been removed and 964 FIRs have been lodged against the defaulters.

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