Delhi registered record voting in Wednesday's polls

Delhi shattered previous records as it registered 65.86 % voting in Wednesday's assembly elections, an Election Commission official said Thursday.

"Delhi recorded 65.86 polling %. Voting continued till 8 p.m. Wednesday," the official told IANS.

Officially voting ends at 5 pm, but seeing the surging enthusiastic crowds at many polling stations, the state election commission extended the voting time.

The Matia Mahal polling station in the walled city was the last to close at 8 pm.

According to the official, at 68.48 %, northeast Delhi saw the highest polling while northwest Delhi registered the least voting at 63.25 %.

A total of 43,49,247 men, 34,66,875 women and 206 transgenders - under the "others" category - voted Wednesday.

The number of government officials on election duty who cast their votes through postal ballot stood at 43,015.

It was for the first time that Delhi witnessed such an overwhelming response to assembly elections.

In the first elections to its re-cast assembly in 1993, Delhi witnessed a turnout of 61.75 %. In 1998, Delhi recorded the lowest turnout at just over 48 % voting.

In the 2003 elections, over 53 % voters cast their ballots, and in 2008, over 57 % polling was recorded.

As a small, Part C state in 1951, Delhi had an assembly, which was abolished in 1956, and succeeded by a Metropolitan Council in 1966. The 56-member council with five nominated members had no legislative powers.