The BJP is set to reclaim power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) after a gap of two years, with the elections for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor scheduled to be held on Friday. With the AAP boycotting the election and the Congress reduced to a marginal presence, the BJP is expected to comfortably sweep the civic posts, solidifying its control over Delhi through the Centre, the nominated MLAs in the Assembly and now the MCD.
Senior BJP leader and former Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, who is the party’s nominee for the mayoral post, said that Delhiites have entrusted the BJP with the responsibility of fixing the city’s problems. “AAP has already accepted its defeat. We will eliminate corruption and complete all the pending work that was stalled over the past two years,” he said. He further stated that once the mayor is elected, elections for the standing committees will be held promptly. Meanwhile, AAP councillor and former Mayor Shelly Oberoi and Leader of the House Mukesh Goyal held a press conference on Thursday where they reiterated their party’s decision to boycott the election. “The MCD election is scheduled for tomorrow, and we will completely boycott it,” Oberoi said, accusing the BJP of turning the civic polls into a farce with its so-called “triple engine power.”The AAP stated that it’s time for the BJP to take full responsibility for governance and fulfill its promises without excuses. The party affirmed it will play the role of a constructive opposition and hold the BJP accountable. They added that under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership, several people-centric decisions were taken, but the BJP’s only objective has been to “seize power.” The current strength of the MCD is 238, as 12 seats lie vacant due to some councillors getting elected to the Delhi Assembly and one to Lok Sabha.
Out of 250 seats, BJP now has 117 councillors, up from 104 in 2022, while AAP’s tally has dropped to 113 from its earlier 134. Congress holds just eight seats. The electoral college for the mayoral election includes 238 councillors, 10 MPs (seven from the Lok Sabha and three from the Rajya Sabha) and 14 MLAs — Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has nominated 11 BJP and 3 AAP MLAs as the electors. The previous mayoral election, held on November 14, 2024, had seen AAP’s Mahesh Kumar Khinchi win by a razor-thin margin of just three votes. However, subsequent defections and political shifts have significantly altered the MCD’s power balance. The BJP has nominated Jai Bhagwan Yadav from Begumpur ward for the Deputy Mayor post.
Meanwhile, Congress also entered the fray, with Mandeep Singh (Nangloi, ward 47) and Ariba Khan (Abul Fazal Enclave, ward 188) filing nominations for Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively. The mayoral poll will be held on Friday at 2 pm, alongside the Ordinary April Meeting of the civic body.
As per the meeting guidelines issued by the MCD, all municipal councillors and members must carry their identity cards, as entry to the meeting hall will be permitted only after identity verification.
No voter will be allowed to carry mobile phones or other electronic devices into the polling booth. Additionally, candidates have been instructed not to bring supporters, as neither supporters nor their vehicles will be allowed to enter the Civic Centre or its premises.
