MCD polls: 31.13 polling percentage recorded till 2.pm

A 31.13 percent voter turnout was recorded till 2.p.m. for the Delhi MCD polls.

It can be noted that it is first time in the MCD elections the None Of The Above (NOTA) option has been made available and the elections is being held after the latest delimitation exercise that restructured the civic wards.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union Minister Dr. Harshvardhan were among the voters who cast their votes in the early hours of polling for the MCD elections.

Baijal exercised his franchise at a polling station in Greater Kailash area while Kejriwal cast his vote in Civil Lines.

Harshvardhan cast his vote in a polling booth in Krishna Nagar area. Congress Delhi unit chief Ajya Maken also exercised his franchise in Rajouri Garden. Union Minister Vijya Goel also cast his vote.

Municipal elections in Maujpur in East Delhi and Sarai Pipal in North Delhi wards have been postponed due to the death of two candidates. Both candidates belonged to the Samajwadi Party.

The polling in Maujpur will now be held on May 14 while in Sarai Pipal it will take place on May 21.

The voting for 270 wards of three civic bodies will continue till 5.30 p.m. Over 2500 candidates are in the fray. Delhi Election Commission has set up over 13 thousand polling booths out of which over three thousand have been identified as sensitive while around 15 hundred booths are hypersensitive.

Around 57 thousand police personnel have been deployed to ensure free and fair polls in the national capital.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Maheish Giri expressed hope that the voting percentage will increase by 5 p.m.

"I am sure that the voter percentage would increase because people are furious with Kejriwal as they were befooled by him. I am sure it would get a decent percentage as the people want to take revenge against him," Giri told ANI.