Voting for high-stakes Delhi polls underway, key politicians exercise franchise

Key politicians including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday queued up outside polling booths to exercise their franchise for Assembly polls in the national capital.

Jaishankar cast his vote at NDMC School of Science and Humanities Education at Tuglak Cresent whereas Kejriwal along with his wife - Sunita Kejriwal, mother and son, a first-time voter, cast their votes at a booth in Civil Lines.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Manish Sisodia, Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Delhi parliamentarians including Manoj Tiwari, Vijay Goel, Parvesh Verma and Meenakshi Lekhi also voted in the national capital.

The city is witnessing a triangular contest among the ruling AAP, which won a landslide majority in the last elections, the BJP and the Congress. In the last poll, the AAP had won 67 seats, the BJP 3. Congress didn't open its account.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is hoping to retain power for the second consecutive term. Similarly, the BJP is hopeful to gain a majority by cashing in on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress, which was in power for 15 years at a stretch in Delhi under the leadership of former Chief Minister late Sheila Dixit till the party lost to AAP in 2015 polls, will be hoping for a revival.

AAP is contesting on all 70 seats, while the BJP has fielded its candidates on 67 seats and has left three seats for its allies -- two for JD-U and one for LJP. On the other hand, Congress is contesting on 66 seats and has given four seats to its ally RJD.