BJP wins 7 seats while AAP secures 3 in Delhi civic body bypolls

New Delhi: The results of the bypolls held across 12 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) wards were announced on Wednesday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming seven seats, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured three, and the Congress won one.

Rekha Rani of the BJP won from Ward No 128, Dichaon Kalan, while Sarla Chaudhary secured victory in Ward No 198, Vinod Nagar. Veena Asija won from Ward No 65, Ashok Vihar, and Suman Kumar Gupta emerged victorious in Ward No 74, Chandni Chowk. Additionally, Anita Jain clinched Ward No 56, Shalimar Bagh, while Anjum Mandal won from Greater Kailash, and Manisha Devi secured the Dwarka B seat, adding to the BJP's tally.

Meanwhile, the AAP won three seats, with Ram Swaroop Kanojia winning in Dakshin Puri, Anil securing the Mundka seat, and Rajan Arora winning from Naraina.

Suresh Chaudhary of the Congress won from Sangam Vihar Ward 163A, while Mohammad Imran of the All India Forward Bloc secured victory in Chandni Mahal.

Of the 12 wards that voted on November 30, nine were previously held by the BJP and the remaining by the AAP.

The voter turnout stood at 38.51 per cent, lower than the 50.47 per cent recorded during the 2022 MCD elections across 250 wards. Ten counting centres were established at Kanjhawala, Pitampura, Bharat Nagar, Civil Lines, Rouse Avenue, Dwarka, Najafgarh, Gole Market, Pushp Vihar, and Mandawali.

Each centre managed counting for designated wards and was equipped with secure, strong rooms and controlled access points, the State Election Commission said in a statement.

Before the bypolls, the 250-member MCD House comprised 115 BJP members, 99 AAP members, 15 Indraprastha Vikas Party members, and 8 Congress members.

The bypolls were seen as the first major electoral test for the BJP following its recent Assembly election victory. Meanwhile, the AAP and Congress viewed the contest as an opportunity to strengthen their position in the national capital.

A total of 51 candidates, including 26 women, contested in the bypolls. The BJP fielded the highest number of women candidates at eight, followed by AAP with six and Congress with five. Nearly 1,800 Delhi Police personnel and 10 paramilitary companies were deployed for the bypoll arrangements. Around 700 staff were assigned for vote counting, and adequate facilities were provided to candidates and their authorised agents, the Commission added.

(With IANS inputs)