New Delhi: Voting for the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi started on Saturday with early risers queuing up at polling stations to avoid the summer heat. Notable early voters included Union ministers S. Jaishankar and Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi Minister Atishi, outgoing East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir, and various candidates from different parties.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged citizens in a Hindi post on X  to vote and encourage their families and friends to do the same. He emphasized that each vote strengthens democracy and opposes authoritarianism.

Weather and Arrangements
A 'yellow' heat warning is in effect, with temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius. The Delhi Election Commission has made special arrangements to help voters cope with the heat.

Early Voting and Key Locations
Voters were seen outside more than 13,000 polling stations before voting began at 7 am. Jaishankar, the first voter at Atal Adarsh Vidyalaya in the New Delhi constituency, expressed the importance of high voter turnout for the nation's decision-making.

Hardeep Singh Puri voted at Mount Carmel School in Anand Niketan, calling the voting process a celebration of democracy. Atishi voted at Nigam Pratibha Vidyalaya in Kalkaji, South Delhi, and Gambhir cast his vote at Government Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, encouraging others to participate.

Candidates and Voter Turnout
Early voters included AAP's South Delhi candidate Sahi Ram Pahalwan, BJP's Chandni Chowk candidate Praveen Khandelwal, and New Delhi candidate Bansuri Swaraj. Pahalwan called on Delhi residents to vote, emphasizing the significance of this democratic festival.

Law and Order
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M. Harsha Vardhan assured that the elections are being conducted smoothly with no reported incidents. He highlighted the pride and enthusiasm among officials and voters, aiming for a high voter turnout.

Voter Statistics
Over 1.52 crore voters are eligible to vote, including 82 lakh men, 69 lakh women, and 1,228 from the third gender. More than 2.52 lakh are first-time voters.

Party Strategies
The BJP, which won all seven Delhi seats in the 2014 and 2019 elections, aims for another clean sweep. The opposition alliance, INDIA bloc, comprising AAP and Congress, is contesting under a four-three seat-sharing arrangement.

This election marks the first time AAP and Congress are fielding joint candidates in Delhi. AAP's candidates include Kuldeep Kumar (East Delhi), Mahabal Mishra (West Delhi), Somnath Bharti (New Delhi), and Pahalwan (South Delhi). Congress candidates are JP Agarwal (Chandni Chowk), Kanhaiya Kumar (North East Delhi), and Udit Raj (North West Delhi).

BJP's candidates include Manoj Tiwari (North East Delhi), the only incumbent MP, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (South Delhi), Bansuri Swaraj (New Delhi), Harsh Deep Malhotra (East Delhi), Yogendra Chandolia (North West Delhi), Praveen Khandelwal (Chandni Chowk), and Kamaljeet Sehrawat (West Delhi).

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