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Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders Brinda Karat and Prakash Karat on Wednesday cast their votes in the Delhi Assembly polls.
Speaking to ANI, citing her concern about the city's governance, Brinda Karat emphasised the need to protect Delhi from what she called a "double-engine disaster," implying the BJP's central and state governments. "We need to keep Delhi safe from the double-engine disaster and we have voted keeping that in mind," she said. Her husband, Prakash Karat, echoed similar sentiments, stating that the only issue in Delhi is that the elected government is not allowed to function due to interference from the central government and the Lieutenant Governor. He asserted that the elected government should have the right to function without hindrance. "There was only issue that the elected government in Delhi was not allowed to function. We have voted against the centre's and the LG's interference... The elected government should have the right to function," he said. Polling for 70 assembly seats of Delhi and by-polls for two seats, one each of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh began on Wednesday morning. Voting commenced at 7.00 am today. A voter turnout of 19.95 per cent was recorded till 11 am on Wednesday in the single-phase Delhi assembly elections, as per the Election Commission of India. According to the ECI, the highest turnout was recorded in the North East district with 24.87 per cent among all districts of the national capital followed by the Shahdara district with 23.30 per cent while the Central district recorded the lowest turnout of 16.46 per cent. A total of 699 candidates are in the electoral fray on the 70 assembly constituency seats of the national capital. In Delhi, the prominent contested constituencies include New Delhi, Jangpura, Kalkaji, Ohkla, Mustafabad, Bijwasan, Kasturba Nagar, Greater Kailash, Patparganj, etc. These elections are high-stakes elections for AAP, BJP and Congress, as, AAP is hoping to retain its power for the next term while the BJP is eyeing to regain power after almost 27 years. Congress which once ruled the state for 15 years has struggled to claim even a seat in the 2015 and 2020 elections. In this election, the party is hoping for a return. AAP, which currently holds more than 60 seats in the 70-seat assembly, seeks re-election based on its previous terms' achievements. (ANI)
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