Voting across 12 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) wards is underway in what is being viewed as the first major indicator of Delhi’s political pulse after the BJP’s strong assembly victory earlier this year. By 2 pm, voter turnout had reached 21.9 per cent, with Sangam Vihar-A registering the highest participation at 29.48 per cent and Greater Kailash the lowest at 13.92 per cent. Of the votes cast so far, 89,242 were men, 63,539 were women, and seven votes came from third-gender electors.
Polling began at 7.30 am and will continue until 5.30 pm across 580 booths set up at 143 locations. A substantial security deployment has been made, including 2,320 polling personnel, 2,265 additional staff, 580 Home Guards and 13 Central Armed Police Force companies. Voters in several areas, including Shalimar Bagh, were seen queuing early in the morning, calling participation both a duty and a means to select responsible representatives.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta cast her vote in Shalimar Bagh and appealed to citizens to vote in greater numbers, stressing that meaningful turnout strengthens democracy. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also urged all eligible electors to exercise their franchise. Fifty-one candidates, among them 26 women, are contesting. Nine of the 12 wards were previously held by the BJP and three by AAP, making this by-election a prestige test for the BJP and an opportunity for AAP to regain momentum after its assembly defeat. The contest follows a setback for AAP after former MLA Rajesh Gupta joined the BJP on the eve of polling.
Polling stations are equipped with real-time webcasting and QR-based feedback features. Every ward includes a Model Polling Booth and a women-managed ‘Pink Booth’ to encourage voter participation in a more inclusive atmosphere. EVMs will be stored in 10 strong-room-cum-counting centres once polling closes, and the results will be declared on December 3.
