Delhi polls: Why Amit Shah is keeping a tab on voter turnout

New Delhi, Feb 7: Thirty-five percent voting was recorded till 1 pm on Saturday in the Delhi assembly elections.

The balloting picked up early, with nearly 20 percent votes being cast by 11 am, within the first three hours.

According to news reports, BJP president Amit Shah is taking stock of the voter turnout in Delhi. Sources say that the BJP is facing tough competition from Arvind Kejriwal's AAP and is said to have linked its chances of winning in the national capital with a high voter turnout.

According to NDTV report, the BJP hopes for a minimum 60 per cent voter turnout in Delhi.

In an attempt to encourage people to come out and vote, the party carried out a full-page ad demonstrating how to vote for its symbol, the lotus, on Saturday morning.

Not only this, PM Modi also tweeted on Saturday morning urging voters to vote.

"As Delhi votes today, urging voters to go out & vote in large numbers. I particularly call upon my young friends to vote in record numbers," tweeted Modi.

While, PM tweeting this message in every election is quite common, but this time other BJP leader followed the suit including party president Amit Shah. Shah tweeted, "The future of Delhi lies in your finger, please participate in large numbers & vote. #DelhiVotes,"

"Get out and vote" was also the message that thousands of BJP workers carried door to door in Delhi hours before polling began, says the report.

The Delhi polls are seen as a direct contest between AAP and BJP and being billed as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a description rejected by his party leaders.

This is the second assembly polls in Delhi within little over one year. The assembly polls in December 2013 had thrown a hung verdict with BJP winning 31 seats and AAP making a stunning debut by wresting 28 seats while Congress got only 8 in the 70-member assembly.

The elections are significant as a defeat for BJP may bolster the opposition while a victory for the party will increase its confidence ahead of assembly polls in Bihar later this year.

OneIndia News