In the by-elections for 12 municipal wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged victorious in seven wards, while the Aam Aadmi Party secured three wards. The Congress won one ward, and the All India Forward Bloc also claimed one ward.
Counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security at 10 counting centres across Delhi. These civic bypolls marked the BJP’s first major electoral test after the party came to power in the national capital in February this year.
In one ward, BJP candidate Suman Kumar Gupta defeated AAP candidate Harsh Sharma by 1,182 votes. The party also recorded a comfortable win in Shalimar Bagh B ward, where Anita Jain defeated AAP candidate Babita Rana by a margin of over 10,000 votes. This seat had fallen vacant after BJP councillor Rekha Gupta won the assembly elections in February and became Delhi’s chief minister.
The BJP further secured victories in Dichaon Kalan, Greater Kailash, and Dwarka-B wards. The Dwarka-B seat was previously held by Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who is now a BJP MP. In Dwarka-B, BJP candidate Manisha Rani won by 9,100 votes against AAP candidate Raj Bala.
In Ashok Vihar, BJP candidate Veena Asija won a close contest, defeating AAP candidate Seema Goyal by 405 votes.
The Aam Aadmi Party registered wins in Mundka, Dakshinpuri, and Naraina wards. In Naraina, AAP candidate Rajan Arora won narrowly by 148 votes against BJP candidate Chandrakanta Shivani.
Congress candidate Suresh Choudhary won the Sangam Vihar A ward by defeating BJP candidate Subhajeet Gautam, securing 12,766 votes against Gautam’s 9,138 votes. In Chandni Mahal ward, All India Forward Bloc candidate Mohd Imran defeated AAP candidate Mudassar Usman by 4,692 votes.
Earlier declared results showed BJP victories in Vinod Nagar by 1,769 votes, Greater Kailash by 4,065 votes, Sangam Vihar by 3,628 votes, and Chandni Chowk. Of the 12 wards where polling took place on November 30, nine were previously held by the BJP and three by the AAP.
The State Election Commission set up counting centres at Kanjhawala, Pitampura, Bharat Nagar, Civil Lines, Rouse Avenue, Dwarka, Najafgarh, Gole Market, Pushp Vihar, and Mandawali. Strong rooms storing EVMs remained under round-the-clock CCTV surveillance and were guarded by paramilitary forces as well as Delhi Police.
The voter turnout in these bypolls was 38.51 per cent, considerably lower than the 50.47 per cent recorded in the 2022 MCD elections for 250 wards. With a clear majority of seven wards, the results reaffirmed the BJP’s strong organisational hold over several important municipal wards in Delhi.
Also Read: Delhi MCD bypolls witness subdued voter turnout at 31 percent
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