Delhi polls: Counting of votes begins at 19 locations amid tight security

Counting of votes for Delhi's 70 assembly constituencies began amid tight security at 19 locations across the national capital on Saturday.

Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer Alice Vaz said 5,000 personnel, including counting supervisors and assistants, micro-observers, and support staff trained for the process, had been deployed for the exercise.

According to the Conduct of Election Rules, postal ballots will be counted first and the process of counting of votes recorded in electronic voting machines (EVMs) begin 30 minutes later.

After that, counting of votes cast through postal ballots and EVMs will continue simultaneously.

Since 2019, VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail) slips from five randomly selected polling stations per assembly constituency are matched with the EVM count for greater transparency.

Delhi, with 1.55 crore eligible voters, recorded a turnout of 60.54 per cent in the February 5 election.

A three-tier security arrangement with 10,000 police personnel, including two companies of paramilitary forces at each centre, has been put in place.

The results will reveal if AAP's political dominance in Delhi remains intact or is dented enough by the BJP for the saffron party to return to power for the first time since 1998.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has dominated Delhi's political map since 2015, routing both the BJP and the Congress in the assembly polls held that year by winning 67 of the 70 seats.

It returned to power in 2020 with 62 seats.

An AAP victory will re-establish Kejriwal's dominance in Delhi and enhance his political stature nationally.

However, a win for the BJP will not only return the saffron party to power in the national capital after more than 26 years but also break AAP and Kejriwal's grip on Delhi.

The Congress, which governed Delhi from 1998 to 2013, is looking to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections.