NEW DELHI, 4 FEB

 The stage is set for the high-stakes Assembly elections in Delhi, with over 1.56 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots from 7 am onwards on Wednesday.

Voting will take place across 13,766 polling stations in all the 70 Assembly constituencies to decide the fates of 699 candidates in a contest that could reshape the political landscape of the capital.

Led by Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is seeking a third straight term, banking on its governance record and welfare schemes.

On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making a determined push to reclaim the capital after more than 25 years.

The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years till 2013, is striving to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections.

Polling will begin at 7 am on Wednesday and continue until 6 pm under tight security arrangements.

In an effort to streamline the process, the Election Commission has introduced a Queue Management System (QMS) app, which will enable the voters to check crowd levels in real time.

The campaigning, which officially ended at 6 pm on Monday, saw a high-voltage battle between the three main contenders.

The AAP focused on its governance model, with Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi leading rallies across the city.

Led by heavyweights like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda, the BJP intensified its attack on the AAP over corruption allegations and law and order issues.

The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, too put up a spirited campaign, targeting both the AAP and the BJP on various issues.

The discourse was marked by aggressive name-calling, AI-generated spoofs, and debates over issues such as the "Sheesh Mahal" controversy, Yamuna's water quality, and allegations of voter list tampering.