BJP Secures 7 Seats in Delhi Municipal By-Polls as AAP Claims 3 and Congress Returns with 1

New Delhi:

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured victory in seven of the 12 seats contested in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi by-elections on Wednesday, reinforcing their dominant position following their February Assembly election triumph.

The Aam Aadmi Party, which lost power to the BJP 10 months prior after governing for over a decade, managed to claim three seats. The Congress party made a modest comeback by winning one seat, a notable achievement after their complete absence in earlier Delhi elections this year. The All India Forward Bloc captured the remaining seat.

The results presented mixed outcomes for the BJP. Despite entering the by-polls holding nine seats, the party surrendered two - one each to Congress and AIFB. However, they successfully flipped the Chandni Chowk ward, previously held by AAP in the 2022 general election, with BJP's Suman Gupta emerging victorious.

Reciprocally, AAP claimed the Naraina ward that BJP had won in 2022.

Despite these losses, BJP's control of the House remains unchallenged. The party now commands 122 of 250 seats, while AAP holds 102 and Congress increases its presence to nine seats.

These by-elections carried significant implications for both major parties. For the BJP, they represented the first major electoral assessment of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's leadership, which she navigated successfully. For AAP, it marked Saurabh Bhardwaj's inaugural election since assuming leadership of the party's Delhi unit, and he can claim satisfaction in maintaining their seat count.

The by-polls were conducted across multiple wards including Greater Kailash, Shalimar Bagh B, Ashok Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Chandni Mahal, Dichaon Kalan, Naraina, Sangam Vihar A, Dakshin Puri, Mundka, Vinod Nagar, and Dwarka B. Eleven positions became vacant after their councilors were elected to the Assembly.

Notably, Shalimar Bagh B represented a significant vacancy, previously held by BJP's Rekha Gupta, who now serves as Delhi's Chief Minister after winning the Shalimar Bagh Assembly seat.

Anita Jain maintained BJP's control over the ward. The party also retained Greater Kailash, Chandni Chowk, and Ashok Vihar wards, with Veena Asija securing a narrow victory margin of 405 votes in the latter.

BJP's Suman Kumar Gupta, after winning the Chandni Chowk MCD by-poll, pledged to address issues concerning traffic congestion, sewage systems, electricity, and water supply. He referenced the Chief Minister's promise of a Rs 100 crore fund for Chandni Chowk's development, vowing proper utilization of these resources.

Congress celebrated their single victory in Sangam Vihar A, where Suresh Chaudhary garnered 12,766 votes, defeating his BJP opponent by 3,628 votes. Chaudhary attributed the success to local residents, noting that despite campaign visits from numerous BJP leaders including the Chief Minister, their failure to emphasize past accomplishments proved ineffective.

The AIFB's Mohd. Imran claimed victory in the Chandani Mahal ward.

AAP maintained control of their constituencies in Dakhshinpuri, Mundka, and Naraina. Ram Swaroop Kanojia, triumphant in Dakshinpuri, expressed gratitude to AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, MLA Prem Chauhan, and the public, acknowledging the considerable support he received.