Delhi: BJP wins 7 seats, AAP 3 in MCD bypolls for 12 wards; Congress bags Sangam Vihar

The BJP won seven wards and AAP three, while the Congress and the All India Forward Bloc emerged victorious in one ward each in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bypolls for 12 wards.

The counting of votes for the MCD bypolls to 12 wards began at 8 am, amid tight security at 10 counting centres in Delhi.

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

BJP’s winners

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

The saffron party also comfortably won the Shalimar Bagh B ward, with Anita Jain defeating AAP's Babita Rana by a margin of over 10,000 votes. The Shalimar Bagh B ward was vacated after sitting BJP councillor Rekha Gupta won the assembly polls in February and became Delhi's chief minister.

BJP's Veena Asija was locked in a close fight with AAP's Seema Goyal but surged ahead to win the Ashok Vihar ward by a margin of 405 votes.

Also Read: How overcrowded shelters and MCD negligence left Delhi’s stray dogs in limbo

BJP’s Rekha Rani won the Dichaon Kalan ward, and Anjum Mandal was victorious in Greater Kailash.

The saffron party's Manisha Rani won the Dwarka-B ward by a comfortable margin of 9,100 votes against AAP's Raj Bala. This was earlier held by Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who is now a BJP MP.

Sarla Choudhry won the Vinod Nagar ward.

AAP won in 3 wards

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

AAP also won the Mundka and Dakshinpuri wards.

One seat each for Congress, Forward Bloc

Congress's Suresh Choudhary won the Sangam Vihar A ward by defeating BJP's Subhajeet Gautam. Choudhary polled 12,766 votes while his opponent managed to get 9,138 votes.

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

Also Read: 15 AAP councillors resign in Delhi, form Indraprastha Vikas Party

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, had set up 10 counting centres, one each at Kanjhawala, Pitampura, Bharat Nagar, Civil Lines, Rouse Avenue, Dwarka, Najafgarh, Gole Market, Pushp Vihar and Mandawali.

Tight security

The strong rooms where the EVMs are stored after polling were secured with adequate security measures, including round-the-clock CCTV surveillance and the deployment of paramilitary and Delhi Police personnel.

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

(With agency inputs)