BJP takes majority in Delhi MCD bypolls, AAP wins 3 as Congress opens account

The BJP won seven wards and AAP three, while the Congress and the All India Forward Bloc won one ward each in the MCD bypolls for 12 wards.

These civic body bypolls were a major electoral test for the BJP, as they were its first significant contest after coming to power in Delhi in February this year.

BJP’s Suman Kumar Gupta defeated Aam Aadmi Party candidate Harsh Sharma by a margin of 1,182 votes.

The party also won the Shalimar Bagh B ward, where Anita Jain defeated AAP’s Babita Rana by over 10,000 votes.

The Shalimar Bagh B ward fell vacant after sitting BJP councillor Rekha Gupta won the assembly polls in February and became Delhi’s chief minister.

AAP won the Mundka and Dakshinpuri wards, while Congress’s Suresh Choudhary won the Sangam Vihar A ward by defeating BJP’s Subhajeet Gautam. Choudhary polled 12,766 votes while his opponent received 9,138 votes.

BJP’s Veena Asija won the Ashok Vihar ward by 405 votes after a close contest with AAP’s Seema Goyal.

All India Forward Bloc candidate Mohd Imran won the Chandni Mahal seat by defeating AAP’s Mudassar Usman by 4,692 votes.

The BJP also won the Dichaon Kalan, Greater Kailash and Dwarka-B wards, the last of which was earlier held by Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who is now a BJP MP. Manisha Rani won the Dwarka-B ward by 9,100 votes against AAP’s Raj Bala.

AAP’s Rajan Arora won the Naraina seat by 148 votes against BJP’s Chandrakanta Shivani.

Counting of votes for the MCD bypolls to 12 wards began at 8 am under tight security.

Of the 12 wards where voting was held on November 30, nine were earlier held by the BJP and the remaining by AAP.

The State Election Commission, Delhi, set up 10 counting centres at Kanjhawala, Pitampura, Bharat Nagar, Civil Lines, Rouse Avenue, Dwarka, Najafgarh, Gole Market, Pushp Vihar and Mandawali.

The strong rooms where EVMs were stored after polling were secured with round-the-clock CCTV surveillance and paramilitary and Delhi Police personnel.

The vote percentage in the bypolls was 38.51 per cent, compared with 50.47 per cent in the MCD elections held for 250 wards in 2022.