New Delhi, Jan 7: The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the Delhi Assembly election on Tuesday. The national capital will have a single-phase polling on February 5 and the counting on February 8.

The term of the 70-member Assembly ends on February 23, and elections have to be held before that to constitute a new House. The national capital has traditionally seen Assembly polls in a single phase.

The Assembly election in the national capital will witness a three-cornered fight between the ruling AAP, and opposition BJP and Congress.

The Aam Aadami Party (AAP) is aiming to win the polls for the third consecutive term. It won 62 seats out of the total 70 in the Assembly. The rest were taken by the BJP.

The AAP, which is finding its ground shaken after several leaders, including former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, were arrested in corruption cases, has been trying to woo the Delhiites with several promises. From playing religious cards to trying to shower women and senior citizens with specific welfare schemes, the AAP is trying everything to secure its base and another term in office.

The BJP, on the other hand, is playing up the corruption charges against the AAP and its convenor Arvind Kejriwal. It is trying to make inroads into the AAP base and win the required number to form the government. The BJP has been out of power in Delhi since 1998 and now is looking at ending this drought.

The Congress party is keen on making a comeback in the national capital. After being rejected by the voters in Delhi in the previous two Assembly elections, the Congress is desperately trying to register its presence in the upcoming polls. It has targeted the women electorate for whom it has announced the ‘Pyari Didi Yojana' promising Rs 2,500 financial assistance to those eligible.

In the Delhi Assembly, the magic number is 36.

The ECI has released a newly revised voter list for Delhi. According to the latest figures, the voter base has grown significantly over the past two months. In October 2024, the total number of voters stood at 1,53,57,529. However, after a summary revision, this number has risen to 1,55,24,858, an addition of 1,67,329 new electorates by December 2024.

--IANS

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