1.14% voter turnout till 9 a.m. (2nd Ld)

New Delhi, Feb 8 : An estimated 1.14 per cent of the 1.47 crore eligible voters have exercised their franchise till 9 a.m.

on Saturday in the elections to the 70 Delhi Assembly seats.

Polling began at 8 a.m. amid tight security arrangements with long queues seen in several polling stations to seal the fate of 672 candidates in the fray to elect a new government.



The estimated turnout for North West Delhi till 9 a.m. was 0.54 per cent, according to the Voter Turnout App.

While North East Delhi recorded 2.24 per cent, South 1.66 per cent, Central 0.43 per cent, South West 1.69 per cent, East 0.78 per cent and West 2.17 per cent, the App added.

Union Ministers Harsh Vardhan, S.

Jaishankar and various MPs, including controversial BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Verma, were among the early voters along with their families.



Polling will end at 6 p.m. and the results for the elections will be announced on February 11.

In the election, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is making a bid to return to power, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking to get a Chief Minister in Delhi after 20 years.



The Congress, which had ruled Delhi for 15 years, is expecting a resurgence in its vote share.

The Election Commission has identified 516 locations and 3,704 polling booths as critical voting stations where paramilitary forces have been deployed.

Activities at each polling stations are being monitored through webcasting.

The police have deployed around 40,000 security personnel, 19,000 home guards and 190 companies of Central Armed Police Forces to ensure smooth conduct of the polls.



--IANS

rak.

Source: IANS