Former Congress says that every vote cast in favour of the Congress and its INDIA ally would result in better job creation and women empowerment…reports Asian Lite News
Ahead of the much-anticipated polling for the Lok Sabha in the national capital on May 25, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday urged the voters of Delhi to ensure victory for the party candidates and those put up by its INDIA bloc ally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in what she claimed were “very important elections to save democracy and the Constitution”.
In a personalised video address to voters in the national capital on Thursday, ahead of polling for the penultimate phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Sonia said that every vote cast in favour of the Congress and its INDIA ally would not result in better job creation but also help empower women.
“These are very important elections. These are elections to save our democracy as well as the country’s Constitution. The polls are being fought on issues such as unemployment, inflation, and the attack on our institutions and constitutional bodies. You have to play your part in this fight,” the Congress stalwart said in an impassioned video address to voters in the Capital.
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“Every vote that you cast will help in the generation of employment opportunities while also reducing inflation, empowering women and creating an India where every citizen is treated as an equal. These elections are not just about equality but also the bright futures of our citizens. I urge you all to ensure the victory of candidates of the Congress and the INDIA bloc by big margins in all seven Lok Sabha seats in the Capital,” the former Congress president and Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli said.
Voting for all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will be held in a single phase on May 25.
As per a seat-sharing alliance that the ruling AAP and the Congress sealed for the Lok Sabha elections in the national capital, the former will contest four seats, including the prestigious New Delhi constituency, while setting aside the remaining three for the Congress.
Significantly, in a first for electoral politics in the country, the Congress has not put up a candidate in the prestigious New Delhi constituency, which would mean that all members of the party’s first family will vote for the AAP’s candidate for the constituency, Somnath Bharti.
However, with less than 48 hours left for polling in the national capital, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP supremo and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are not scheduled to hold any joint roadshow for the INDIA candidates.
Headlining a massive public meeting in Delhi’s Dwarka earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came out all guns blazing at the INDIA bloc, listing out the differences in governance styles of the previous Opposition regimes at the Centre and that of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
He said the sole ‘agenda’ of the Congress and its ‘INDI partners’ was to cater to their families.
Delhi turns into a fortress
Given the voting for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 25, security has been beefed up in the national capital.
“In Shahdara, there are 166 polling stations and 827 polling booths. Staff has been appointed as per the guidelines of the Election Commission. A staff of 2500 will be on duty that day… The staff was briefed on May 20 and today… Drones will be used at sensitive polling booths…” said Additional DCP Vishnu Kumar Sharma.
As the mercury is on a constant rise in the national capital, the Additional DCP said that it is expected that the temperature might rise to 45 degrees Celsius. “Glucose and ORS have been distributed to the staff and they have been told that they must also carry necessary things with them to protect from heatwave,” he added.
Delhi is undergoing voting in a single phase on all seven Lok Sabha seats on May 25, with a fierce contest between the BJP and the INDIA bloc, comprising the AAP and Congress.
The Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress are fighting the elections in alliance in the national capital, with the AAP contesting four and the Congress three seats.
The seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi are Chandni Chowk, East Delhi, New Delhi, North East Delhi, North West Delhi, South Delhi, and West Delhi.
Notably, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Saturday that a total of 889 candidates from eight States and Union Territories (UTs) will contest elections in 58 constituencies. The voting will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.
The 2024 general elections are held in India in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1, to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The results will be announced on June 4. (ANI)
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