Silence period to kick in from 6 pm in national capital

Microphones will fall silent and high-octane poll campaigning will end on Friday evening in the national capital as the 48-hour silence period kicks in from 6 pm ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

All seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi will vote on May 12 as part of the sixth phase of the polls.

"The campaigning will end this evening as the 48-hour silence period will kick in at 6 pm today which would stay till 6 pm on Sunday," Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh told reporters.

As many as 523 polling locations have been identified till date as critical, he said.

"Special paramilitary forces will be deployed there, besides webcasting and CCTV facilities. Micro-observers would also be there. We have made all arrangements for smooth polling," he said.

No campaigning shall be allowed beyond the 6 pm limit, including on social media, Singh said.

"All print ads need to be pre-certified for any publication in newspapers," he added.

As many as 164 candidates are in fray in the polls, which are largely been seen as a three-way contest among the BJP, Congress and AAP.