JOIN USThe capital’s VIPs and political bigwigs made an early dash to the polling booths on Thursday and a majority of them cast their votes by forenoon.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi arrived at her Nirman Bhawan polling booth at 9.30 am.
Wearing a green sari, Gandhi walked briskly towards the booth with the Congress candidate from the New Delhi Ajay Maken escorting her. She even waited in the voters’ queue for her turn to press the EVM button.
After casting the vote she flashed her inked finger and left without speaking to reporters.
Vice President Hamid Ansari also voted at Nirman Bhawan around the same time.
Other early voters included Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi, BJP’s Chandni Chowk candidate Harsh Vardhan and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.
Rahul Gandhi voted at a polling booth in Aurangazeb Lane around 10.20 am. Dressed in a white kurta pyjama, he left the booth with Maken and Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely.
His sister Priyanka and herhusband Robert Vadra voted at a polling booth in Lodhi Estate around 11.30 am.
She took questions from the reporters and said she would campaign in Rahul Gandhi’s constituency Amethi and her mother’s constituency Raebareli.
Maken himself cast his vote early in Rajouri Garden along with his first-time voter daughter. “There is no Modi wave,” Maken said, emerging from the polling booth.
Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung walked down to his polling booth with his family members to cast his ballot . “We must strengthen Indian democracy by exercising our right to vote,” he said after flashing his inked finger in the Civil Lines area around 10.45 am.
Congress candidate in Chandni Chowk Kapil Sibal and his BJP rival Harsh Vardhan pressed the EVM buttons around 8 am.
Sibal dismissed talk of a tough fight and said: “The people will tell what kind of fight it is.”
Harsh Vardhan said at his Krishna Nagar polling booth Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister and the party will win all seven Delhi seats.
AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal voted at a polling booth on Tilak Marg around 10.30 am. He reached there with his wife and parents. He expressed hope of his party winning all seven seats in the city.
“People will decide who will win...ours is a fight against corruption,” he said.
Almost at the same time when Kejriwal reached the booth, a minor collision between two cars caused a loud bang. For a moment, it caused a panic among security personnel.