Live: Delhi sees highest voter turnout of 64.77% in 3 decades

10.30 pm:  Delhi records 64.77% polling, highest in 3 decades Delhi Thursday recorded its highest voter turnout in the last three decades with 64.77 percent polling. The capital saw a 64.88 percent turnout in the 1984 elections, held post the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi. The turnout in 2009 election was 51.85 percent. 8.25 pm: How voter turnout in Delhi increased over the years Delhi has always been known an area where voter turnout has been considerably low. However, today and in the Assembly elections saw a larger turnout. Here’s a graph showing the increase in turnout 8.04 pm: I voted for democracy, for India. says LG Najeeb Jung Lt Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung who was among early voters in the Lok Sabha polls here today, said, he “voted for democracy” and has full faith in it. “I have voted for democracy. I have voted for India and I have full faith in democracy and I want it to succeed in this country,” Jung told PTI. Accompanied by his wife and daughter, Jung and his family cast their ballots at a polling station in Rajpura Road under Chandni Chowk constituency amid palpable excitement. 7.13 pm: Delhi recorded 64% polling till 6 pm, may go up, says EC The Election Commission today said that polling in Delhi till 6 pm was 64%, however the numbers may go in the next few hours, they said. The EC said that there was no untoward incident in the capital and polling took place smoothly. 6.18 pm: Delhi records 60% polling till 5 pm Delhi recorded poll percentage of 60.1 till 5 pm for the Lok Sabha elections, surpassing the 2009 polling percentage and setting stage for a record polling in the national capital. The city is witnessing a high voltage three-cornered contest for its seven seats. Long queues formed outside several polling stations across the national capital as men and women - the elderly included - turned up in large numbers right from the time polling began at 7 a.m. Voting ends at 6 p.m at 11,763 polling stations in the capital. “The polling percentage till 5 p.m. Was 60.1 percent,” Chief Nodal Officer, Delhi Election Commission, Ankur Garg, told IANS. The 2009 percentage was 51.85 percent. In 2004 it was even lower at 47.09 percent. In the Delhi asssembly elections in November, the voter turnout was 66 percent. Delhi poll panel officials said that the highest poll percentage was recorded in North East Delhi constituency at 63 percent. It was followed by East Delhi (61.2 percent), West Delhi (61.1), Chandni Chowk (60 percent), North West Delhi (59.3), New Delhi (59.2) and South Delhi (57.2). Voter enthusiasm was evident in both middle class and working class areas. In some places, the queues snaked out of the school buildings where polling stations were set up. Even affluent areas, which are usually lethargic vis-a-vis elections, reported heavy polling. 6.10 pm: Foreign delegation observes polling in Delhi A 30-member delegation from 19 countries, including many from Africa, Thursday visited some polling stations in the nation capital to observe the Indian democracy at work, said a senior poll panel official here. The delegation included representatives from Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana and Lebanon. “The representatives were also briefed about the elaborate arrangements made by the Election Commission to make the elections successful. They saw the voting process and the security arrangements made to ensure fair and safe eelctions,” the official told IANS. “The delegation visited the polling stations in New Delhi and south Delhi constituencies,” the official added. The official added that the delegation was also informed about the special arrangements that were undertaken this time for the disabled to ensure that they don’t face any problems when they vote. The Election Commission of India (ECI) and UNDP have a memorandum to jointly promote exchange of visits and sharing of experiences and skills in the field of electoral management with developing countries. Live: Pace of Delhi polling picks up, over 50 percent votes recorded An impressive 52 percent polling was recorded till 3 pm in the Lok Sabha election for the seven seats in the national capital even as long queues of people were seen at the booths across the city. “52 percent of the 1.27 crore eligible voters cast their votes till 3 pm,” a senior official of Delhi Election Commission said. He said polling has so far been peaceful and there were no reports of any untoward incident. There were reports of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVM) in some parts of the city but they were rectified, EC officials said. The voting started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the overall voting percentage stood at 52.3 percent, which had increased to 66 percent in the 2013 Delhi Assembly election. The Delhi Election Commission had set a target of surpassing the 66 per cent polling figure in the Lok Sabha polls. 3.28 pm: Delhi establishments offer discounts to voters If you cast your vote in the capital Thursday, you can avail interesting offers and discounts at various restaurants, salons and gyms - and even on petrol. Discount coupon site mydala.com is asking people to “show us the finger (literally your inked finger)” via a ‘selfie’ to get a deal pack for a month free. The capital’s popular North Indian restaurant Havemore at Pandara Road is offering a five percent discount to every voter. The discount is valid from Thursday to 15 April on every table up to a maximum of 15 percent off per table. “We wanted to contribute in our own specific way. Ours is a family restaurant and this would give us a chance to show them our gratitude in our own way. We would want more people to go out and vote, and in lieu of that get such fabulous discounts,” Vaibhav Bajaj, owner of Havemore restaurant, told IANS. Rara Avis, a French bistro in Greater Kailash 2 here, is also giving a five percent discount for the same period. The discount is valid on every table up to a maximum of 20 percent off per table. While these may come across as a smart marketing strategy, Rajiv Aneja, partner at Rara Avis, begs to differ. “The idea came about on a sudden spur of the moment, when we were wondering that what could we as a restaurant do in order to encourage the masses to vote. While it might seem to many people that this is a stunt to cash in on the election fever, on our part, we want to encourage more people from the community to go and vote. “Moreover, if you notice closely, we are losing out on revenue by giving them a discount. We could have anyways done very well business-wise without such a promotion as well,” he said. There are more restaurants following suit. Dude Food in Satya Niketan is giving 10 percent discount if you will show your inked finger Friday and Saturday. Fat Lulu’s in Gurgaon is also offering a complimentary portion of garlic bread or dessert for every inked finger today, while the Vasant Vihar-located Barrels will give voters a free mocktail. SOY in Khan Market is giving a flat 20 percent discount to those who show their voting mark. Those with a sweet tooth can head to Radisson Blu Paschim Vihar to avail a 15 percent discount on cupcakes. Pure Punjab is offering a special political party platters. The AAP one is a vegetarian platter consisting of vegetarian specials like Bhatti da paneer, Subz seekh kebab and Aloo najakat. Their Congress Platter has more non-vegetarian delicacies like Surkh lal chicken tikka, murg seekh kebab, meat vali seekh and more, and the BJP platter will give you with different Paneer curries, Gobi tamatar masala, methi malai matar, flavoured lentils, chicken curry, chicken khurchan and more. Restaurateur Priyank Sukhija, who owns some of the most popular joints and clubs in the capital, says that voting is very important. “When we vote, we are actually telling government how we feel about education, public safety, tax issues, social laws and other important issues. Voting is our chance to make a difference in our own lives and within the world. Lakmé Salon has also announced a 50 percent discount on hair cuts to encourage women to vote. Valid for only Thursday, Fluid Gym has an Election Day offer too. Get a flat 50 percent off and it’s applicable on 30 days and six months membership plans. There is coupon code provided on their Facebook page to help get the deal. IndianOil is offering a discount of 50 paise per liter of petrol at select outlets across the city. 3.10 pm: Forty percent polling recorded in New Delhi constituency Forty percent polling has been recorded in the New Delhi constituency. This number is expected to increase as of 4 pm after office hours. 1.15 pm: Delhi’s assembly poll enthusiasm gone, just 25% turnout in first 4 hours Moderate to brisk voting was today witnessed in Delhi as 25 percent of the nearly 1.27 crore electorate exercised their franchise during the first four hours in the Lok Sabha polls where Congress, BJP and AAP are engaged in a tough contest. “25 percent of the electorate have cast their votes till 11 am. The polling has so far been peaceful and there are no reports of any untoward incident,” officials in the Delhi Election Commission said. Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal were among the early voters in the election to the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The Lok Sabha elections here are seen as test of Aam Aadmi Party’s perceived erosion of support base, BJP’s claim of having a ‘Modi wave’ besides assertion by Congress that it was regaining lost ground after suffering massive defeat in assembly polls in December. Union Minister Kapil Sibal, Delhi BJP Chief Harsh Vardhan, Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken, Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Dev were also among the early voters. There are 29 contenders from New Delhi constituency, the highest for any seat, while the lowest of 14 is in North West seat. 12.02 pm: Delhi voters overly attached to mobile phones? Voting has picked up speed in Delhi, say Firstpost reporters on the ground. In East Delhi, our correspondent says that people are not happy at being asked to keep their mobiles outside. The lady cop at the gate has a tough time giving the same answer to every second person. To the question ‘what if it is stolen?’ she seems to have no answer. The following statistic could perhaps explain the mentality: According to IANS, more than 62,000 electors in the national capital checked their names on the voters lists through a mobile phone message facility, an official of the poll panel said Thursday. The Election Commission started a message helpline number - 9211728082 - for the voters in the national capital, so that they could check their names on the list before going to the polling station to cast their ballot. “The helpline helped a lot of voters in the capital to confirm their names on the list,” a poll panel official told IANS. The helpline also helped voters enroll their names back in the list if they did not get a confirmation for their names through SMSes. The helpline was started before the Delhi assembly elections. 11.40 am: Priyanka Gandhi votes, continues family tradition of silence The ever optimistic media ran after Priyanka Gandhi in hopes of getting at least one Gandhi family sound byte, but she continued the proud tradition of not saying a word. Just a cursory showing of an ink stained finger and a smile for the camera. Gandhi was accompanied by her husband Robert Vadra. 10.55 am: BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi casts her vote BJP candidate for New Delhi constituency vote, where she is contesting against Congress’s Ajay Maken and AAP candidate Ashish Khetan. “We will win all 7 seats in Delhi, Modi will be our PM, " she said. The first two hours of voting in Delhi has seen a voter turn out of 10.2 percent. “10.2 percent of the electorate have cast their votes till 9 am. The polling has so far been peaceful and there are no reports of any untoward incident,” a top official in the Delhi Election Commission said. Meanwhile, AAP leader Manish Sisodia also voted this morning.10.43 Secretive voters in East Delhi! She, 80-plus, walks out of the booth supported by her son. As you put questions to her, you get a look carrying irritation and amusement in equal measure. ‘‘Mataji, what according to you are the big issues in East Delhi? Has Sandeep Dikshit been good enough?” Mataji stares back hard from behind her glasses. “Tujhe kyun bataun? Tu khada hai kya? Ghar ja.” Her response is not unlike that of other of her age. Trust the Indian voters to be secretive about their choice! 10.23 am: Arvind Kejriwal casts vote in Delhi AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal who is contesting from Vadodara in Gujarat has cast his vote in Delhi. Firstpost reporter Pallavi Polanki said that he had arrived at the booth with his parents and wife. Speaking after casting his vote Kejriwal said, “Someone has already assumed that he is the PM of the country. But I believe that the people will decide on their own”. [caption id=“attachment_1473929” align=“alignnone” width=“620”] Pallavi Polanki/Firstpost[/caption] 10.14 am: Sonia, Rahul maintain stoic silence at polling booths Whether as vote-seekers or voters, the Gandhis seem determined to drop the communication ball. Once again, both mother and son today refused to say a word at the polling booth, flubbing yet another opportunity to present a more relatable aam aadmi face to the dynasty. They were instead whisked in and out in true VIP style. 9.53 am: Brisk voting in Delhi spells bad news for Congress? There has been brisk voting reported in Delhi, which is largely being seen as a bad sign for the Congress party, which won all seven Lok Sabha seats from the state last year. Queues were witnessed from the time polling stations opened at 7 am, and officials reported a steady turnover of voters. There was visible enthusiasm especially among middle-aged voters and senior citizens. Voting enthusiasm was not restricted to middle class and working class areas but was also seen in affluent localities as well. The Election Commission said about 10 percent of Delhi’s 12 million voters had exercised their franchise in the first two hours of balloting. Here are some images of voting taking place from there: [caption id=“attachment_1473839” align=“alignnone” width=“620”] Voters in Mehrauli, Delhi: Naresh Sharma/Firstpost[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1473843” align=“alignnone” width=“620”] A First time voter in Delhi displays her ID card: Naresh Sharma/Firstpost[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1473847” align=“alignnone” width=“620”] A handicapped voter exercises his franchise in Delhi: Naresh Sharma/Firstpost[/caption] Meanwhile in the East Delhi constituency, voters are tight lipped on who and why they have voted. The voters’ choice here will be as much a verdict on the performance of sitting MP Sandeep Dikshit as on the popularity of Narendra Modi. Dikshit of the Congress is taking on Maheish Girri of the BJP and Rajmohan Gandhi of AAP. 9.32 am: Sonia Gandhi votes, escorted by Ajay Maken Congress party president Sonia Gandhi has arrived at the Nirman Bhavan polling booth, accompanied by the Congress candidate for the New Delhi seat, Ajay Maken. Gandhi, clad in yet another green sari was seen standing in line to press the button and register her vote. Meanwhile there was an early morning lull at Hasanpur Gaon booth in East Delhi constituency. Voter turnout was a trickle at this point. Women voters outnumber male voters. 8.50 am: Every countryman sees in Narendra Modi a better future for himself: Harsh Vardhan Soon after Sibal’s comments, his BJP Chandni Chowk rival Harsh Vardhan also spoke to the media, saying that the decision today was whether he would be a MP. “I will always remain committed to Delhi. There is no question of quitting politics.” He also mentioned the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate saying, “Every countryman sees in Narendra Modi a better future for himself”. He also denied that Modi had polarised the polls, saying that he stood for development. Every countryman sees in Narendra Modi a better future for himself. Meanwhile Firstpost editor Sandip Roy has tweeted this out:

  8.30 am: Kapil Sibal casts vote, says Modi sold like Lux soap Congress candidate from Chandni Chowk, Kapil Sibal, who is facing stiff competition from BJP’s Harsh Vardhan and AAP’s Ashutosh, has said that he will vote for ‘what his party stands for’. “I will vote for what my party stands for. Every election is a challenge. It was there in the last two elections as well”,  he told reporters after casting his vote. “Close fight, yeh sab kya hai yaar. Janata sab batayegi. The biggest issue for any voter is that they shouldn’t live in the kind of conditions they live in. And of course, any Sibal interview is incomplete without a jibe at the BJP and Modi. “Like how Lux soap is sold on TV, one individual is being sold on TV”, he said. 8.00 am: Congress facing rout in all 7 seats Here is a quick look at the expectations in Delhi,compared to the performance of the parties in 2009: According to political analysts who spoke to Firstpost reporter Pallavi Polanki, The BJP is expected to pip the Aam Admi Party (AAP) to the post in the race for the largest number of seats in Delhi. That is what political observers are predicting for the nation’s capital. In what could be seen as some relief for the Congress, which seems to be trapped under an avalanche of adverse poll predictions, some political analysts believe the party has managed claw its way back into the game after the fall of the Arvind Kejriwal government. However, the majority opinion is that AAP’s fall in popularity will benefit the BJP because the anti-Congress wave is still strong in Delhi. Read her full report here . Meanwhile AAP’s Ashutosh has registered his voted and sent out a tweet to prove it: https://twitter.com/ashutosh83B/status/454086368323321856 7.50 am: Harsh Vardhan reaches East Delhi poll booth BJP candidate from Chandni Chowk, Dr Harsh Vardhan has reached his East Delhi polling booth to cast his vote. Vardhan is up against Congress incumbent Kapil Sibal and AAP’s journalist turned politician, Ashutosh. The popular Vardhan would have been Chief Minister had the BJP been able to win an outright majority in Delhi. 7.45 am: Voting begins to decide fate of AAP, Cong, BJP Voting in Delhi began at 7 am at over 11,500 polling stations out of which 327 have been declared critical and 90 hyper critical. A total of 1.27 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise which include over 3.37 lakh first-timers. A total of 150 candidates are in the fray. The Congress had won all seven seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, but are widely expected to lose heavy ground to the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party. The prominent contenders in the fray include Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Krishna Tirath, Delhi BJP Chief Harsh Vardhan, Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken, journalist-turned-politician Ashutosh, Sandeep Dikshit, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Rajmohan Gandhi, and BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi. 6.40 am: AAP makes poll debut as Cong stares at defeat Delhi may have just seven Lok Sabha seats, but the battle for them has been pitched and arguably the most followed. Following its stunning assembly polls debut, the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party is hoping to make a national impact, and its best chance to do that lies in Delhi. Delhi has traditionally been a Congress stronghold, but it is widely acknowledged that only a miracle can save them from a complete rout. The BJP on the other hand, are hoping to replicate or better their performance in the Delhi assembly polls, in which they emerged the single largest party. The assembly poll projections for the state give Congress just one seat at best. An internal survey by the party itself has warned of a complete rout. Here is a quick look at the constituencies and key battles: New Delhi, This seat is being contested by Congress heavyweight and current incumbent MP Ajay Maken. Taking him on is BJP’s spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi. AAP has propped up journalist Ashish Khetan against Maken. It should be noted that New Delhi, which was considered a stronghold of Congress, gave the boot to former CM Sheila Dikshit, who lost by a spectacular margin of 25,864 votes to AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. North-East Delhi: The candidates here include Congress stalwart JP Agarwal, who is also the current MP. AAP’s candidate is Professor Anand Kumar from JNU and BJP has put up Bhojpur superstar Manoj Tiwari. It should be noted that last time JP Agarwal beat his opponent in 2009 by over 200,000 votes, what will happen this year given the strong anti-incumbency remains to be seen. Chandni Chowk: Union Minister Kapil Sibal, the current Congress MP, is up for re-election from this constituency. He’s facing former journalist and AAP leader Ashutosh. Also in the race is Dr Harsh Vardhan, the man who would have been BJP’s CM in Delhi. [caption id=“attachment_1473463” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Reuters[/caption] South Delhi: In South Delhi, the incumbent Ramesh Kumar is facing AAP’s Colonel Devinder Kumar Sehrawat, and BJP’s Ramesh Bhiduri. Ramesh Kumar is the brother of Sajjan Kumar, the Delhi Congress leader whose role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots has created controversy. Then again, Bhidhuri is facing four criminal cases. East Delhi: This is going to be a battle worth watching given that AAP’s Rajmohan Gandhi, who is Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson and noted historian, will take on Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit. Dikshit has been MP from East since 2004, but could face the wrath of voters given the anti-Congress wave. The BJP candidate in East Delhi is Mahesh Giri. It should be noted that before Dikshit, East Delhi was a BJP stronghold. West Delhi: Mahabal Mishra from Congress is the current MP from West Delhi but he faces a challenge from Parvesh Singh Saheb of BJP and Jarnail Singh from AAP. Jarnail Singh is the man who threw a shoe at current finance minister P Chidambaram. North West Delhi: Congress MP Krishna Tirath is the incumbent in this constituency. She is currently the women and child development minister. She’s facing a challenge from BJP’s Udit Raj and AAP stalwart Rakhi Birla. Birla won the Delhi Assembly election and handled the women’s department in the 49 day AAP government. 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