The upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) mayoral election has taken a significant turn as three councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have switched allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
This political shift comes as a major setback for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and strengthens the BJP’s position ahead of the crucial poll.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva announced the development, stating that the defection of the councillors would contribute to the vision of a "triple engine" government in the national capital.
He emphasised that with the BJP in power at the Centre, in the Delhi Assembly, and in the MCD, the city would witness rapid progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ initiative.
The three councillors who have joined the BJP are Anita Basoya from Andrews Ganj, Nikhil Chaprana from Hari Nagar, and Dharamvir from R K Puram. Their decision to switch sides follows the BJP’s sweeping victory in the recent Delhi Assembly elections.
BJP leaders stated that these councillors joined the party with a commitment to improving sanitation and infrastructure in the city.
The MCD mayoral election is set to take place in April. In the previous election, held in November 2024, AAP secured victory by a narrow margin of just three votes. However, with the latest defections, the BJP now has an upper hand, making the upcoming contest even more competitive.
Apart from elected councillors, the voting for the mayor and deputy mayor includes representatives from other bodies.
The seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi, all belonging to the BJP, along with three Rajya Sabha MPs from AAP and 14 nominated MLAs, will cast their votes. The BJP is also set to have 10 of its MLAs nominated to the MCD, while AAP will have only four.
In the 2022 MCD elections, AAP emerged victorious with 134 seats, while the BJP secured 104. The Congress managed to win only nine wards, and three were taken by Independents. Despite AAP’s initial majority, recent political developments suggest that BJP is steadily gaining ground in the civic body.
In a separate event, the MCD recently presented its budget for the next financial year, amounting to ₹17,000 crore. The highest allocation of ₹4,907.11 crore has been made for sanitation, highlighting the focus on cleanliness and waste management.
The budget also prioritises infrastructure development and education, aiming to improve essential services in the city.
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