Assembly polls in Delhi will be held on February 5 and the votes counted on February 8, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Tuesday.

The last date to file nominations is January 17 and the scrutiny of nominations will be done by January 18.

Candidates will be able to withdraw their nominations till January 20.

"It is a single-phase election… We have deliberately kept polling on a Wednesday so more people come out to vote… like we did in Maharashtra," Kumar said at a press conference.

Bypolls to two assembly constituencies -- Milkipur in Uttar Pradesh and Erode in Tamil Nadu -- will also be held according to the same schedule.

CEC Kumar cautions against making anti-women remarks

Chief Election Commissioner Kumar urged candidates and political party leaders to refrain from making remarks against women and involving children during poll campaigns.

Bidhuri, the BJP candidate from Kalkaji, sparked controversy when he had said he would make the roads in his constituency "like Priyanka Gandhi's cheeks", if elected.

While not taking names, Kumar said the Election Commission would ensure no remarks were made against women when the Model Code of Conduct was in force.

"Any remarks against women should not be made, we have issued very strict guidelines... We condemn this but only when Model Code of Conduct is in place," he said.

"Children should not be associated (with campaigns) at all... We will not allow anti-women remarks," he added.

"On one hand we are trying to bring more and more women to the booth... If you speak in such a manner about mothers and sisters, it is shameful," he said.

4.5 crore VVPAT slips counted, no discrepancy found: CEC Rajiv Kumar

Kumar further underscored the integrity of India's electoral process, asserting that not a single discrepancy has been found in votes counted through electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.

"Let me tell the nation today. After the Supreme Court mandated in 2019 that five VVPATs must be counted from each assembly constituency, over 67,000 VVPATs have been checked.

"This translates to more than 4.5 crore (VVPAT) slips being verified. And let me assure you that not even the difference of one vote has been found with the new machines since 2019," he said.

The CEC also pointed out that any minor errors, such as technical glitches in some of the older machines or mock poll data not being cleared, are handled with precision.

"There could be instances where a machine's data is set aside during the counting process. However, these instances are reviewed thoroughly and the slips are counted if they could potentially impact the victory margin," he explained.

Kumar highlighted that the guidelines for every aspect of the electoral process, from electoral rolls to machine handling, are rigorously followed and shared with political parties.

The CEC reiterated the transparency and robustness of the election mechanism, dismissing allegations of vote tampering.

"Our process is not only thorough but also transparent. Form 20, which contains the exact details of winners and losers, is handed over to all candidates," Kumar said.

The Election Commission has been subjected to scrutiny and demands for greater accountability, including the counting of all VVPAT slips, by opposition parties.