New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will face a test of his popularity next month as Delhi goes to the polls amid concerns over corruption and rising prices.
New Delhi has been under President's rule for almost a year.
The party's tenure was dominated by public sit-ins, conflicts with electricity and water agencies and a power struggle with the central government.
The election in New Delhi is likely to be three-way contest between Bharatiya Janata Party, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress party.
The outcome of the February 7 election will be announced three days later, the Election Commission of India said.
Since Delhi is the only state going to polls now, the availability of Central Para-Military Forces (CPMF) will not be a problem, the sources said, adding that about 100 CMPF companies may be enough for free and fair conduct of elections.
Delhi also does not have history of violence or booth capturing that may have been witnessed in states in the past.
The elections will be an opportunity for the resurgent BJP, which has been on a winning streak under the leadership of Modi in various Assembly polls since its spectacular success in the Lok Sabha polls last May, to seek a clear verdict unlike the fractured decision of 2013 polls in Delhi.
The BJP, which had then faced the polls under Modi as the chief campaigner for the party, could not get a majority in Delhi unlike the stunning success it had scored in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, which also went to polls then. The AAP, which made its debut in Delhi in the last polls in 2013, emerged the largest party with 31 MLAs, followed by AAP, which got 28 MLAs.
It managed to form a government with the support of Congress (8 MLAs) and JD(U) (one) but Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal resigned in 49 days making it a short-lived government.
