Delhi turnout dips to lowest in 17 years at 60.42%; Mustafabad the bright spot at 69%

The results of the Delhi Assembly elections will be announced on February 8

The national capital witnessed a voter turnout of 60.42% in the assembly elections that took place on Wednesday, as per data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

According to data, this year’s voter turnout is the lowest since 2008, when just 57.8% of eligible voters participated. North East Delhi recorded the highest voter turnout at 66.25 per cent, while South East had the lowest at 56.31 per cent, the poll panel's voter turnout application said.

North-east was the epicentre of the deadly 2020 Delhi riots in which about 53 people were killed  after protests over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Mustafabad constituency in North East Delhi recorded the  highest voter turnout of about 69 per cent.  Meanwhile, Mehrauli in South West Delhi saw the lowest at 53.04%.

In the 2020 assembly polls, Delhi had recorded a total voter turnout of 62.59 per cent while only 56 per cent of voters participated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, in 2015, the total voter turnout was 67.1%.

Polling concluded at 6 pm on Wednesday, with reports of alleged irregularities surfacing during the voting process. AAP accused the Delhi Police of voter coercion at the Sainik Vihar polling station in Shakur Basti, claiming that law enforcement was “hijacking the election.” Meanwhile, BJP workers staged a protest in the Seelampur constituency, alleging incidents of bogus voting.

The results of the Delhi Assembly elections will be announced on February 8, when the counting of votes takes place. The total electorate in the national capital stands at approximately 1.56 crore, with over 2 lakh first-time voters. A total of 699 candidates were in the fray.

The election marks a crucial test for AAP, which had dominated the last two assembly elections. In 2020, the party won 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP secured eight. The Congress, which once held power in Delhi for 15 years, failed to win a single seat in both the 2015 and 2020 elections.

Meanwhile, exit polls for the 2025 Delhi elections have given the BJP an edge over AAP, indicating a comeback in the national capital after 1998 and Arvind Kejriwal's party being voted out of power.