The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that the 9th Delhi Assembly Elections will take place on February 5 in a single phase across all 70 constituencies. The votes will be counted on February 8.
As per the ECI schedule, the Gazette notification for the elections will be issued on January 10. Candidates can file their nominations until January 17, with scrutiny set for January 18. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 20.
During a press conference on Tuesday, The ECI announced the schedule for the 9th Delhi Assembly Elections. With this announcement, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is now in effect and will remain in place until the elections conclude.
The MCC, issued by the ECI, sets guidelines for the conduct of political parties and candidates throughout the election period. It covers areas such as meetings, processions, manifestos, polling, and overall behavior to ensure a fair and impartial election process.
The last Delhi Assembly Elections were held on February 8, 2020, in a single phase. Voter turnout was recorded at 62.82%, a decrease of 4.65 percentage points compared to the 2015 elections.
The ongoing term of the Delhi government is set to end on February 23, 2025. The newly elected government will assume office thereafter.
Currently, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP holds power in the Union Territory with 62 out of 70 Assembly seats. The Opposition, BJP, holds the remaining eight seats, while Congress failed to secure any seats in the 2020 elections.
AAP is contesting all 70 Assembly seats, while the BJP has announced the names of 29 candidates so far. Congress has vowed to contest all seats without alliances and has fielded more than 26 candidates to date.
Key battles in Delhi Elections 2025
The high-stakes Assembly election will feature a fierce contest between former MP Parvesh Verma, son of the late Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, and AAP leader and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Similarly, former MP Ramesh Bidhuri will face off against Chief Minister Atishi from Kalkaji.
The BJP has also nominated its national office-bearers Dushyant Kumar Gautam and Ashish Sood to contest from Karol Bagh and Janakpuri, respectively. Meanwhile, former Delhi ministers Arvinder Singh Lovely and Kailash Gahlot have been fielded from Gandhi Nagar and Bijwasan. Additionally, former Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay is contesting from Malviya Nagar.