‘Vote against dictatorship’: Arvind Kejriwal urges voters during 6th phase of polling

Lok Sabha election: Voting for all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday urged the voters to “vote against dictatorship” during the sixth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Arvind Kejriwal made the statement shortly after he, his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, and other family members exercised their franchise at a polling station in the Civil Lines area under the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency. The CM's mother, however, could not vote due to ill health.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote at a polling station during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections.(PTI)

“I voted today with my father, wife and children. My mother is very ill. She could not go. I voted against dictatorship, unemployment and inflation. You, too, must go and vote against the same,” Kejriwal, who is out on bail in the excise policy case, told the media.

He also appealed to voters to go to the polling booths despite the intense summer heat and vote against several issues, including unemployment and inflation.

Earlier in the day, the CM also appealed to the voters to “strengthen” the Indian democracy and Constitution.

"I appeal to all my voting brothers and sisters to definitely come and cast their vote. Ask your family, relatives and friends to also vote. In this great festival of democracy, each of your votes will be against dictatorial thinking and strengthen the Indian democracy and constitution. Go to the polling booth and show with your vote that there is democracy in India, and democracy will remain," he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Voting for all the seven Lok Sabha seats - New Delhi, North East Delhi, East Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi, North West Delhi, and Chandni Chowk - began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.

The BJP and AAP-Congress alliances are witnessing a riveting contest in the national capital.

Some of the key candidates include two-time MP Manoj Tiwari of the BJP, who is pitted against Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar in North East Delhi, Congress' Udit Raj from North West Delhi, BJP's Bansuri Swaraj from New Delhi, and AAP's Kuldeep Kumar from East Delhi, among others.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi alleged that the lieutenant governor of Delhi, VK Saxena, held a meeting with the Delhi police to “slow down” the voting process in areas that are strongholds of the INDIA bloc. However, the governor denied saying he would take “strict action against those making such allegations”.