Delhi assembly elections 2020:Polling on February 8; counting on February 11

• The Election Commission of India has announcedthe schedule for Delhi elections.
• The assembly polls will be held on February 8, and counting on February 11, 2020.
• The three main parties contesting elections constitute the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC).
• The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the 2015 election — winning 67 of the 70 assembly seats.

As the 70 member assembly term approaches its end on February 22, the Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for Delhi elections. The assembly polls will commence on February 8, and the final counting of votes will be on February 11.

Of the total 1.46 crore voters in Delhi, 8,055,686 are men, 6,635,635 are women and 815 are categorised as third gender.

The three main parties contesting elections constitute the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC).

In 2015 assembly elections, Arvind Kejriwal was elected as the Chief Minister of the state. He is now eyeing a re-election in the upcoming assembly polls. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the 2015 election — winning 67 of the 70 assembly seats while the three seats went to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This is the first time that the national capital is going to polls after the Lok Sabha elections. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP bagged all seven seats in Delhi.

Pollution crisis, cracking down on unauthorised residential colonies and full statehood of Delhi are the key issues to be brought up during the assembly polls. Kejriwal also told NDTV that clean water supply, ensuring the safety of women and improving public transport are the top priorities of the Delhi government.

In addition to this, Kejriwal said that the government will ensure free bus rides for students after winning the 2020 Assembly elections in the national capital, similar to the way his government has made the public transport free for women in the city, IANS reported.

The ongoing row over the Citizenship Amendment Act is also likely to be a prominent issue for the upcoming elections. Kejriwal also voiced his opposition to the NRC (National Register of Citizens) and NPR (National Population Register).

In a bid to defend the citizenship law, Narendra Modi-led BJP government has taken up the attacks on Nankana Sahib in Pakistan while campaigning for elections. Sikhs constitute almost 5% of Delhi’s population, as per census 2011.

Addressing a press conference, BJP National Secretary R.P. Singh said, "On Friday, stones were thrown at the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara and slogan to throw Sikhs out of Pakistan and send them to India were raised. The Pakistan government didn't take any action for 13 hours."

Before the AAP came into power in Delhi, Congress ruled the state for nearly 15 years.

See also:
22% of BJP's Lok Sabha voters like Kejriwal more than Modi, says Lokniti-CSDS survey

Delhi’s voters will have to decide if full statehood is the answer to their problems