Next Mayor from AAP, BJP will play responsible oppn: Adesh Gupta

However, many senior BJP leaders said that no decision had been taken regarding the election of mayor

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Adesh Gupta on Friday said that the party, which won 104 out of 250 wards in the recent civic elections, will play the role of strong opposition and the first mayor of the reunified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will be from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which won 134 wards.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta. (HT Photo)

Addressing a press conference, Gupta said, “We are thankful to the people of Delhi for the increase in our vote share. As compared to 2017, our vote share has increased by 3 percentage points. We respect the mandate and will play the role of a strong opposition.”

However, many senior BJP leaders said that no decision had been taken regarding the election of mayor. “No decision has been taken regarding the party not contesting for the post of mayor. We will see when the time comes,” said a senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity.

The BJP said that the people had supported the party, especially the work done by the Centre and the civic body, which was rued by the BJP for the last 15 years, and the increased vote share was an indication of the growing support. “We lost 30-35 seats by a very small margin. But the increase in our vote share is an indication that people are happy with the work done by the Centre and the civic body,” Gupta said.

Though the AAP, which made its electoral debut in the municipal corporation polls in 2017, got a clear majority with 134 seats, BJP said that its public support has waned due to allegations of corruption and scams by its ministers and senior leaders. Gupta said, “While the BJP’s vote share has increased, AAP’s vote share has dropped drastically. They stand exposed due to our anti-corruption campaign and that is why the public has rejected them in assembly constituencies of Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and other AAP leaders.”

A spokesperson of the AAP declined to comment.

Meanwhile, the BJP continued its attack on the AAP for not implementing central government schemes. “While Kejriwal seeks Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s blessings, he has not implemented the central government’s Ayushman Bharat scheme. If this scheme is implemented, the poor will get free treatment up to ₹5 lakh. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is applicable in all the states except Delhi. Kejriwal should also answer why this is so,” said Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly.