MCD bypolls: BJP, AAP name candidates

AAP and BJP announced candidates for 12 MCD bypolls ahead of November 30 elections, following vacancies from councillors becoming MLAs.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced their nomination list for the 12 party candidates for the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bypolls, with one day to go for the deadline.

A file photo of an MCD House meeting. (ANI)

The wards fell vacant earlier this year after 11 councillors, including chief minister Rekha Gupta, were elected as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The Dwarka-B seat has been vacant since last year after BJP’s Kamaljeet Sehrawat was elected as a Member of Parliament from West Delhi. The elections are scheduled for November 30.

According to AAP’s list, Babita Ahlawat will contest from Shalimar Bagh B — the ward vacated by CM Gupta, while BJP has named Anita Jain.

AAP has named Eeshna Gupta for the Greater Kailash ward, Geeta Rawat from Vinod Nagar, Seema Vikas Goel from Ashok Vihar, Harsh Sharma from Chandni Chowk, and Muddasir Usman Qureshi from Chandni Mahal. Ram Swaroop Kanojia will contest from Dakshin Puri, Anuj Sharma from Sangam Vihar A, Anil Lakra from Mundka, Rajan Arora from Naraina, and Neetu Keshav Chauhan from Dichaon Kalan. Lakra was the former leader of the opposition from AAP.

The list undersigned by AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj said Rajbala Sehrawat will contest from Dwarka B.

Following day long consultative meetings on Sunday, the BJP released its late on Sunday. It is fielding Anjum Mandal from GK; Manisha Rajpal Sahrawat from Dwarka-B and Suman Kumar Gupta from Chandni Chowk.

The party has also fielded Jaipal Daral from Mundka, Veena Asija from Ashok Vihar, Sunil Sharma from Chandni Mahal, Rekha Rani from Dichaon Kalan, Chandrakanta Shivani from Naraina, Rohini Raj from Dakshinpuri, Shubhrajeet Gautam from Sangam Vihar-A and Sarla Chaudhary from Vinod Nagar.

While announcing the party candidates, the Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that the candidates were selected after extensive discussions. “We have ensured that candidates are selected based on merit and winnability. Based on our work at the Centre, state, and MCD, we will win with a landslide victory,” he added.

AAP’s Bharadwaj said that all AAP candidates have a strong presence among the people in their respective areas and enjoy complete trust of the public. “The party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) has decided to give tickets only to the party’s dedicated workers.”

After the AAP announced the candidate list, the former deputy speaker and six time MLA Shoib Iqbal announced that he is leaving the party and resigning from its primary membership. The veteran leader, in a video statement, accused the party of failing to meet people’s expectations.

In response, AAP, in a statement, said that party will give tickets to any parachute candidates from other parties. “Mr. Shoaib Iqbal, without consulting the party, himself declared his brother-in-law, Kashif Qureshi, as the party’s candidate. The party clarified that it conducted a survey and awarded the ticket to Mr. Mudassar Usman Qureshi, the best candidate in that survey. Mudassar is a long-time party worker and co-secretary of the Delhi Youth Wing. The Aam Aadmi Party avoids giving tickets to relatives, thus giving opportunities to ordinary workers.”

The vacant MCD wards are spread across different parts of the city, covering both general and reserved seats.

The last date of filing of nominations is November 10, and the scrutiny of papers will take place on November 12. The last date of withdrawal of nomination is November 15.

Numbers in house

Of the 12 vacant wards, the BJP had held nine seats while the AAP councillors represented the remaining three —Chandni Chowk, Dakshinpuri and Chandni Mahal. An MCD official said that as per current position BJP has 116 councillors, AAP has 98, IVP has 15 and Congress has eight ,with one seat with an Independent.

Following the 2022 unification and delimitation exercise, the MCD area has been divided into 250 municipal wards. In the 2022 municipal polls, AAP won a majority in the MCD with 134 seats, the BJP secured 104 seats, and the Congress won 8 seats. Following a series of defections and prolonged legal and political tussle, the BJP secured a majority earlier this year. After losing power, a section of AAP’s breakaway councillors formed the Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP), further diluting its hold on the corporation. The upcoming MCD bypolls are likely to be viewed as an early test of political sentiment in Delhi after the assembly polls.