New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS): Swathed in shawls and woolen caps to beat the morning cold, Delhiites began voting with enthusiasm across the national capital Saturday to pick a 70-member assembly.
Elections are taking place in Delhi after over a year, since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stepped down from office in February 2014 after ruling for 49 days.
Small queues of voters formed Saturday at various government schools with police keeping a strict watch, as soon as voting began at 8 a.m. across the 11,763 polling booths.
The voting percentage was 5.7 percent in the first hour. Over 13.3 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots in a contest that has 673 candidates.
Voting picked up as a bright sun rose in the sky.
Most initial voters were early morning walkers. Wearing walking shoes, the voters, including married couples, went to vote.
The day has been declared a public holiday to enable people to vote.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday urged the voters in Delhi to exercise their franchise in large numbers in the assembly polls.
"As Delhi votes today (Saturday), urging voters to go out and vote in large numbers," the prime minister tweeted.
"I particularly call upon my young friends to vote in record numbers," another tweet said.
Police did not allow cars near the polling booths, and asked voters to park their vehicles a little distance away. Police officials kept up regular patrolling across the streets, and especially near the polling booths.
"I have cast my vote," said a smiling Ravi Kumar, a voter in Malviya Nagar constituency, showing off his left forefinger with the purple indelible ink stain on it as proof.
"It is our duty and responsibility to vote, so we are here to exercise our franchise," Rajendra Sharma, one of the early voters from east Delhi's Laxmi Nagar, told IANS.
The main battle is between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), while the Congress will try to retain its tally of eight seats.
BJP chief ministerial candidate voted Kiran Bedi cast her vote Saturday at a government school in Niti Bagh. She asked people to vote for "clean, literate and safe Delhi".
"Today is a historic day for Delhiites. It's the day for them to decide what type of Delhi they want," Bedi said after casting her vote.
At the Niti Bagh poll booth, by 9 a.m. around 100 people had cast their vote, an official said.
Former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial face, Arvind Kejriwal, urged the voters in Delhi to cast their ballot in the assembly election Saturday.
Kejriwal said: "...do cast your vote, you will certainly win".
Vice President Hamid Ansari was also among the early voters.
After casting his vote at Nirman Bhavan, Ansari showed his index finger with the voting mark and waved to the media.
Congress leader Ajay Maken said he was confident about the performance of his party.
"We have confined ourselves in raising real issues. Unlike other parties we have not resorted to petty politics. Congress can deliver its promises in Delhi," he said.