BJP Dominates MCD Bypolls; Opposition Parties Register Gains

The Bharatiya Janata Party clinched seven of the 12 seats in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bypolls, while the Aam Aadmi Party secured three. The Congress and the All India Forward Bloc each captured one ward.

These by-elections were widely viewed as a crucial test for the BJP, marking its first significant electoral contest in the capital after assuming power in Delhi in February.

In one of the closely watched contests, BJP’s Suman Kumar Gupta defeated AAP candidate Harsh Sharma by 1,182 votes. The party also scored a decisive win in the Shalimar Bagh B ward, where Anita Jain beat AAP’s Babita Rana by over 10,000 votes. The seat had fallen vacant after sitting BJP councillor Rekha Gupta won the assembly elections earlier this year and assumed office as Delhi’s chief minister.

AAP notched up victories in the Mundka and Dakshinpuri wards. Congress made its presence felt as well, with Suresh Choudhary winning the Sangam Vihar A ward, defeating BJP’s Subhajeet Gautam. Choudhary secured 12,766 votes, while Gautam received 9,138.

The Ashok Vihar ward witnessed a tight race, with BJP’s Veena Asija edging out AAP’s Seema Goyal by 405 votes. Meanwhile, Mohd Imran of the All India Forward Bloc captured the Chandni Mahal ward, defeating AAP’s Mudassar Usman by 4,692 votes.

The BJP further expanded its tally by winning the Dichaon Kalan, Greater Kailash and Dwarka-B wards. The Dwarka-B seat, previously represented by Kamaljeet Sehrawat, now a BJP MP, was retained comfortably as Manisha Rani triumphed over AAP’s Raj Bala by 9,100 votes.

AAP’s Rajan Arora secured a narrow win in Naraina, beating BJP’s Chandrakanta Shivani by just 148 votes.

Counting began at 8 a.m. across Delhi under stringent security arrangements. Of the 12 wards that went to the polls on November 30, nine were previously held by the BJP and the remaining three by AAP.

The State Election Commission set up 10 counting centres at locations including Kanjhawala, Pitampura, Bharat Nagar, Civil Lines, Rouse Avenue, Dwarka, Najafgarh, Gole Market, Pushp Vihar and Mandawali. Strong rooms housing the EVMs were guarded round the clock with CCTV monitoring and personnel from the paramilitary and Delhi Police.

Voter turnout stood at 38.51 percent, significantly lower than the 50.47 percent recorded in the 2022 MCD elections for 250 wards.

With PTI inputs