MCD Election 2017 highlights: Voting ends in Delhi; dismal turnout, faulty EVMs remain talking points

AAP must be a gracious loser: Yogendra Yadav 

Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav told the media that his former party, AAP, must be a gracious loser.

"AAP must show grace and accept defeat," he said, adding that there was "no indication that EVMs were tampered with in Delhi." Yadav continued, "AAP needs to introspect, it is not right to blame others."

If EVM decides democracy, it's a dangerous trend: Gopal Rai

AAP minister Gopal Rai has dismissed notions that the Modi wave that has been sweeping state after state (with a few exceptions) is responsible for the saffron party's performance in the civic election. "AAP winning or losing is a small thing. But if EVM decides democracy, then it is a dangerous trend... This is not the Modi wave, this is an EVM wave."

The minister added, "For 10 years, BJP has been ruling the MCD. The way they have won today, it's only due to the EVM wave."

BJP leading in all 3 civic bodies, Aam Aadmi Party now at second spot in Delhi

The BJP was leading in all the three civic bodies, while Delhi's ruling AAP was at second spot, and the Congress was trailing at third spot, according to counting trends after an hour, Delhi State Election Commission officials said on Wednesday.

The BJP was leading in 110 wards, the AAP in 28 and the Congress in 23 wards. 

Civic polls a beginning for Swaraj India, says Yogendra Yadav

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The municipal elections in Delhi were "foundational elections" for the Swaraj India Party and leaders have "zero expectations" of winning any seat, party chief Yogendra Yadav said on Wednesday. 

"We have zero expectations. But anything we get above that is a plus for us," Yadav told NDTV on Wednesday as counting of votes for Delhi's civic polls began.

This just in

Times Now and CNN-News18 have called the MCD election in the BJP's favour.

BJP leads in 160 wards, Delhi party chief Manoj Tiwari confident about win

BJP's Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday said he was sure his party would win the civic polls. "I am sure we will win. I have no doubt about it," Tiwari told the media, as counting of votes began. He said the BJP would make Delhi a "clean city" and free it from all sorts of diseases after the party "wins" the municipal elections.

BJP storms ahead according to nearly all TV channels

While Times Now and India Today have BJP ahead in a monstrous 185 seats (among 270), other channels are being more conservative — CNN-News18 puts the figure at 82, while NDTV pegs the BJP's leads at 92.

First trends begin rolling in

According to Times Now, BJP leads in nine seats, Congress and AAP in one apiece.

NDTV gives BJP six leads, Congress three and AAP the solitary lead.

India Today has the BJP ahead in 21 seats with AAP ahead in five and Congress in four.

CNN-News18 has BJP ahead in three seats, Congress in five and AAP in two.

What makes the MCD results so important?

Why would a mere civic body poll be so important for national parties? Well, it's not 'mere' if one considers what is at stake. It's prestige. Delhi was the first state to halt the Narendra Modi victory juggernaut post the 2014 General Election. The BJP has to prove that it was a minor bleep, not a definitive statement of its strength in the capital state.

The AAP has to prove that its victory was no fluke. If it wins or even does well, it will remain a strong counter-force to the BJP in Delhi. For the Congress, the question, of course, is revival. A decent performance will be a much-needed booster dose for it. Besides all that, a victory in Delhi has a certain bang value. It's the power hub of the country.

First trends begin rolling in

According to Times Now, BJP leads in nine seats, Congress and AAP in one apiece.

NDTV gives BJP six leads, Congress three and AAP the solitary lead.

India Today has the BJP ahead in 21 seats with AAP ahead in five and Congress in four.

CNN-News18 has BJP ahead in three seats, Congress in five and AAP in two.

Exit polls predict a massive victory for BJP

Exit polls clearly favour the BJP. AAP and Congress are locked in a close battle for second place.

MCD polls a referendum on the BJP's 10-year rule: Sheila Dixit
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Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who cast her vote in Nizamuddin, refused to accept the MCD polls as a referendum on the AAP government's two years rule, saying it was actually a referendum on the BJP's ten-year rule in the MCD.

"It will be unfair to say that this election is a referendum on the Kejriwal government. In fact, it is a referendum on the BJP's performance as it ruled the MCD in last ten years," she said.

Dikshit also asked the voters to think about the development work done by the previous Congress governments.

"Before you cast your vote today, please think of all the work done by Congress government(s) in the city," she tweeted. She asserted that the Congress is gaining ground in the MCD polls, citing a large number of voters reaching the polling station when she went to cast her vote.

"I certainly think, Congress is gaining ground," she told PTI.

People will vote for good governance of Congress: Ajay Maken

Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken, who along with his daughter Arushi, cast his vote at a polling station in Rajouri Garden, said that this election is all about the governance symbolised by the Congress and the "slanging match" that both the BJP and the AAP are involved in.

"People will vote for the Congress for governance based on the party's track record. Both Kejriwal and the BJP indulged in verbal duel. The BJP-ruled municipal corporations have done enough damage that need to be rectified. Now people have to decide whether they want 'tu-tu main-main' of BJP and AAP or good governance by Congress," he said.

— PTI

Congress is hopeful that voters will remember track record

Congress leaders expressed hope that Delhi voters would remember their track record of governance and help the party in winning the MCD polls for which voting took place Sunday.

Voters create ruckus due to faulty EVMs in Patparganj: ANI

According to an ANI video posted on YouTube, some voters created a ruckus outside the polling station in Patparganj in East Delhi after voters alleged that Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was not working properly. Voters in Ward No 12 also accused officials of not taking the issue seriously, the video said. "The voters also alleged that the staff inside the polling booth was forcing voters to press the other party’s symbol button. However, the officials refuted the allegations and said nothing has happened of that sort," ANI said on its YouTube channel.

Patparganj is a stronghold of AAP's Manoj Sisodia.

Firstpost couldn't independently verify the video.

Punjabi Bagh ward sees 70.33% polling till 16:30

Ward S002 in the Punjabi Bagh Extension area saw 460/654 votes cast till 16:30 pm. A volunteer on election duty there revealed that the booth, located near slum-dwellings, has seen a surge in voting numbers as the heat wave subsided.

Garbage the main worry in Ward No 100

In ward No. 100, the garbage situation is getting out of hand. People are distressed with the stench of garbage in the area. They hope that whoever is elected this year will look into the matter and rid them of the stench.

Memo issued over delay in sending poll percentage figures

Annoyed over delays in sending poll percentage by the officials concerned, the SEC has decided to issue a memo to them. "There has been a delay on the part of concerned official in sending poll percentage data to a control room which has been set up at the SEC headquarters. It has been decided to issue a memo to them," an official said.

— PTI

35 percent polling till 2 pm in Delhi

Around 35 percent votes were polled in municipal elections in the national capital till 2 pm, with the electorates in north Delhi leading the tally. "Around 3,82,359 votes have been polled since 8 am. As many as 16,40,304 people have cast their vote in areas under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation," according to the State Election Commission (SEC).

— PTI

Union ministers, BJP leaders cast their vote

Senior BJP leaders Harsh Vardhan, Vijay Goel and Meenakshi Lekhi cast their votes in the MCD election on Sunday and urged people of Delhi to reject the Aam Aadmi Party's "misgovernance".

Second wave of voters imminent as heat wave subsides

Ward 100s (ps no- 39,40,41,42) is witnessing a second surge of voters following a healthy crowd in the morning. As Delhi cools off, closer to the closing time of the polls, more voters are expected to exercise their democratic right. This surge could help improve the abysmal voting percentage in the capital – recorded at 16% at 1:30 pm

Empty booths reflect Delhiites' disinterest in MCD polls

Several polling booths across the city, like this one in Green Park, are completely deserted given the heat wave. The soaring temperatures, however, cannot be the only reason behind the low voter turnout as it also shows that the people of Delhi are not interested in the MCD polls or that they don't believe that the electoral exercise can lead to change.

Faulty EVMs interrupt polling in Delhi; Arvind Lovely among those affected

Voters in a few municipal wards faced problems as Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at some polling booths did not work properly in the city. Former Delhi minister and BJP leader Arvind Singh Lovely couldn't cast his vote early morning, as there were some problems in the EVMs at the polling booth in East Azad Nagar.

Open waste disposal is a health hazard prevalent in the capital

An Anganwadi inside the Janta Jeevan Camp-Tigri on the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road is situated right next to a big garbage dump. This has led to widespread health hazards in the area. According to a survey conducted by Swati, an NGO affiliated with 'Child Relief & You', in 1,000 households within the camp, 70 percent people suffered from Chikungunya and the rest had diarrhoea and cholera.

Out of 1,000 students between the age group of 15 to 18 there, 46 have dropped out. Usha Malhotra, who is a teacher at the Anganwadi, says that the unsanitary state of affairs affects the health of pregnant women and new born children adversely. 

'As soon as you enter Shahdara, the smell of garbage greets you first.'

More than 80 percent AAP candidates to lose security: Former party executive member Ashok Agarwal

According to Agarwal, more than 80 percent of the Aam Aadmi Party candidates in this MCD election are set to forfeit their security deposit.

Speaking to Firstpost, the party’s former founding executive member said that the dismal voter turnout in MCD election reflects the people’s loss of trust in the Arvind Kejriwal-led party – till 12:30 pm, Delhi registered a dismal voter turnout of 12 percent.

"This means that only the people who are traditional voters have come out to vote this time. These voters mainly belong to the BJP and the Congress party. On the other hand, the voters of AAP are non-traditional voters,” he said.

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Results of MCD Election will have ramifications beyond Delhi

Three parties — BJP, AAP and Congress — are involved in the MCD Election, and the results of these polls will determine the parties' future on the national stage.

Always complaining, never voting

In East Delhi's,Vishwas Nagar, of a total 2,304 voters registered to cast their ballots at polling booths 25 and 26, only 400 or so had turned up till 1 pm. 

The policemen at the booths took the view that while people complain all the time, when it comes to doing their part, they stay away.

Heat or no heat, how many Delhiites will vote?

Low voter turnout? Blame it on the heat

According to these volunteers at an East Patel Nagar polling station, the voter turnout is steadily declining due to the scorching heat.

Who can improve Delhi’s dismal health sector?

This is an important question that many Delhiites must have had in their minds before going to vote, as none of the parties have a clear stance on the issue. In the last two and half years, the capital saw the ugly face of a political blame game between the BJP-run MCD and the Delhi government, about their responsibility for controlling the outbreak of Dengue and Chikungunya.

While the MCD is financially dependent on the Delhi government for the salary of its employees, especially it’s gigantic workforce of sanitation workers, the responsibility of keeping the city clean rests on the MCD.

The sanitation workers went on strike on a number of occasions in the last two years, when the MCD failed to pay them, which left the city in a total mess.

Rising mercury, falling turnout

The Delhi heat has melted away all hopes of breaching the 60 percent voter turnout mark, it seems. Polling booths across the city are reporting dwindling crowds as Delhiites choose to stay indoors. Parties hoping for a strong turnout to propel an anti-incumbancy wave will be praying to the weather gods right about now.

Voter turnout set to drop even further as temperatures reach 41 degrees

With temperatures in Delhi crossing 40 degrees, people are staying away from polling booths. Several polling booths are completely deserted now.

Voting suspended in two wards after death of candidates

Polling been postponed in two constituencies — Maujpur in East Delhi and Sarai Pipal in North Delhi — after candidates belonging to the Samajwadi Party died on Sunday. While the Maujpur candidate died of natural causes, the Sarai Pipal candidate was a man who died from an electric shock. Maujpur polling will now be held on 14 May, while in Sarai Pipal, it will take place on 21 May.

— PTI

Who will win the Delhi civic election?

In the City of Djinns, all is well

The City of Djinns, that's how writer William Dalrymple would describe Delhi. Yeah, it has to be so. How can ordinary mortals survive in a place like this? With every unit of air you breathe, you inhale toxic substances; with every morsel of food you gulp at roadside eateries you take in quantities of road dust and god knows what; every ride in the city is a test of strength for your skeleton and joints; and every walk you take in parks and secluded streets is fraught with the threat of physical assault.

If you have survived all this, you have dengue and chikungunya to deal with. You need to be a Djinn to survive in the city. Because the civic bodies don't work, neither does the state government and the multiple authorities that supposedly manage the National Capital. In the MCD polls, Djinns are voting for Djinns. No matter who wins, everyone will survive. All is well here so long as this already poor situation does not deteriorate further.

Laxminagar offers a reality check

While many constituencies in Delhi see politicians employ electoral optics, Laxminagar, an area plagued with garbage disposal problems, doesn't shy away from offering a reality check to voters. Even on election day, heaps of garbage right next to the polling booth were set on fire, reflecting the apathy of the MCD in the area.

Why it's difficult not to be cynical about politicians in Delhi

It is difficult not to be cynical about Delhi's politicians and their promises. No matter what the parties promise, you know for sure that the garbage dump in the neighbourhood, the overflowing sewers, the packs of aggressive stray dogs and the general chaos and disorderliness won't disappear in a hurry.

The jhuggi-jhopdi Delhi has these problems in common; the posh Delhi has its own set of problems. For many in the fray for councillor jobs, the real aim is access to politics at a higher level. That perhaps explains why crorepatis – there are more than 700 of them in the MCD polls – with little engagement with people on the ground are so keen on a position that offers so little in terms of money. Personal ambition is fine but what about everyday problems of people? As people queue up at the booths, it's possible they do so without much expectation. 

Mobile phone ban creating quite the ruckus

Unsuspecting voters are facing problems as mobile phones and tablets are not permitted inside the polling stations. BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, before going to cast her vote in the South Extension II booth said, "There should have been proper announcements by the Election Commission that voters can't carry their mobile phones inside the booth. It has been causing a lot of inconvenience."

Water scarcity, bad roads, encroachment plague South Ex II

The South Extension Part II booth is one of the most high-profile in South Delhi, comprising a large number of politicians and bureaucrats, besides the 'elite' residents of the area. BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, one such resident, is expected to cast her vote shortly.

A steady flow of voters was seen at this booth, with many senior citizens among the early risers. "It is a B-category colony and I have been living here since 1959. There are several issues bothering residents here like water scarcity, bad roads, encroachment, lack of security. Roads inside the colony have not been repaired in over 10 years," says Naresh Suri, a resident. The picture of a pothole on the road opposite the polling booth reflects the apathy of MCD South.

In a first, poll booths to be 'tobacco-free'

The Delhi State Election Commission has declared that all polling booths during the MCD election will be tobacco free. The pilot move comes after the Delhi government's Health Department urged the State Election Commissioner to take action 

Not sure if your name is on the voter list? Here's how to find out

Polling has started early morning on Sunday, as registered voters started queuing up at 13,022 polling booths across the city. All voters are required to carry their voter slip and voter ID to exercise their franchise. To avoid any last minute confusion, the Election Commission has this year put out the list of registered voters along with the polling booth allotted to each voter, online.

Voting begins in Delhi

Before you cast your vote, here's a quick look at how things presently look:

North MCD: BJP has 59 councillors, Congress 29, the Bahujan Samaj Party 7, while others have 9 seats in the House.
South MCD: BJP leads the tally with 44 members, followed by 29 of Congress, five of the BSP while others have 26 seats in the House.
East MCD: BJP - 39 seats, Congress - 19 and BSP - 3.

Can Delhi breach the 60 percent mark?

In the 2012 Delhi municipal polls, the capital had recorded its highest polling percentage for the civic polls in fifteen years, at  55 percent. In 1997, the polling percentage was 41 percent, 51 percent in 2002 and 42.78 percent in 2007.

This time around, with more than 1.1 lakh first-time voters, the turnout is expected to breach the 60 percent mark.

In Begumpur, voters hope for change

Voters in the Begumpur constituency have started reaching the polling booth to cast their vote. There is excitement in the air, as voters of the constituency are hopeful that the conditions of their area will finally improve with a change in their corporator.                        

Civic poll a referendum on AAP’s performance in Delhi, says Manish Sisodia

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"People have full faith that we will abolish residential house tax if voted to power. The problem with our country is that parties change but the circumstances don’t. If the school fees are increasing, then despite a change in the party in power, it’ll keep increasing. The reason for this is that there are all kinds of mafias at work. They affect people’s daily lives in areas like electricity, water, hospitals or schools. These mafias bribe ministers and thereby secure their comfort zone within the state. They make money whenever there’s an increase in rates..."

Wondering what all the fuss is about? Here's all you need to know about the MCD Election

For the ruling BJP, holding on to power and fighting a decade-long anti-incumbency wave is a challenge and an opportunity to blunt Kejriwal's attempts to emerge as the principal adversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress, which has considerably increased its vote share in polls held after 2015, where it was reduced to zero seats, is hoping to gain its lost ground and make its presence felt, despite unabated infighting...