Delhi MCD bypolls: BJP wins majority seats but suffers some electoral loss

New Delhi: BJP on Wednesday suffered some electoral losses in the bypolls to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), while Congress and Forward Bloc managed victories in one seat each, and AAP retained its numbers.

Of the 12 wards -- which fell vacant after 11 councillors were elected MLAs in February this year and one became an MP in 2024 -- that went to bypoll on November 12, the BJP had nine councillors and AAP three. The BJP could win only seven seats, including the wards earlier represented by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Kamaljeet Sherawat, who was elected as an MP.

The BJP could not retain the Mundka, Naraina (lost to AAP) and Sangam Vihar A (lost to Congress) wards but managed to wrest the Chandni Chowk ward from the AAP. Six of the seven BJP winners were women.

AAP lost two -- Chandni Chowk (to BJP) and Chandni Mahal (to Forward Bloc) -- of the three sitting wards, though it wrested two from BJP. Congress had a sigh of relief as it defeated the BJP in Sangam Vihar.

Forward Bloc, which had the backing of local heavyweight Shoaib Iqbal who was upset with the AAP, opened its account by winning Chandni Mahal where it defeated the AAP.

BJP secured a vote share of 45.09 per cent, AAP 34.97 per cent and Congress 13.44 per cent. This was the first election in the national capital after the BJP ended AAP's 10-year rule, by winning 48 of the 70 Assembly seats and leaving just 22 to its principal rival. Congress for the third time had failed to win a seat.

With this, the MCD now has all 250 members. BJP has 123 councillors and AAP 101 while Congress has nine and one each independent and Forward Bloc. Fifteen councillors are from the Indraprastha Vikas Party, an outfit formed by councillors who have quit AAP.

The Delhi Chief Minister said the BJP's victory is a "strong testament to the tireless hard work of its workers, and the dedication and collective strength" of the organisation. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the margin of defeat was small in two wards and they would review the results to find out the reasons for not being able to retain the numbers.

BJP had assigned Delhi ministers as in-charges of two wards each. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa was the in-charge in Mundka, while Parvesh Kumar Verma was the in-charge of Dakshinpuri and Sangam Vihar A.