January 7, 2025: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to announce the schedule for the Delhi Assembly elections at 2 pm today. The announcement will be made during a press conference, marking the official start of the election process for the 70-member Assembly, whose term ends on February 23, 2025.

The upcoming election promises to be a high-stakes battle, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) aiming for a historic third consecutive term under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Delhi’s main opposition, is determined to wrest control of the capital, while the Congress hopes to regain its lost ground and stage a comeback.

In the previous Assembly elections, AAP achieved landslide victories, securing 67 seats in 2015 and 62 seats in 2020. The BJP, despite its strong national presence, has struggled in Delhi, winning only single digits in both elections. Meanwhile, the Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years before AAP’s rise, failed to win any seats in the last two elections.

The 2025 elections come in the wake of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where AAP and Congress were part of the INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties. However, both parties will compete separately in the Assembly polls.

In 2020, the election schedule was announced on January 6, polling took place on February 8, and the results were declared on February 11. Following a similar timeline, the polls this year are expected to be conducted in February to ensure a smooth transition before the Assembly’s term expires.

The ECI’s announcement will set the stage for an intense political battle as parties gear up to campaign and connect with voters across Delhi.