The BJP has picked Rekha Gupta, a three-time councillor from Shalimar Bagh, to take on AAP's Shelly Oberoi for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi mayoral elections due on January 6. Kamal Bagri of Ram Nagar ward is the BJP's deputy mayoral candidate.
The party has also chosen Kamaljeet Sehrawat, a councillor from Dwarka, for the post of a standing committee member. Sehrawat has previously served as the Mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Oberoi, a 39-year-old former professor, is a first-time councillor from the East Patel Nagar ward. AAP has also chosen Aaley Mohammed Iqbal, a three-time councillor from Chandni Mahal, as its deputy mayoral candidate.
As per the MCD act, the mayor will be a woman in its first year. Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations. However, all three AAP candidates have filed their nominations for the polls.
The party, which lost to AAP after three terms in the civic body, had dismissed speculations about not fielding candidates for Mayoral post on Monday, stating that the party "will contest the elections in the best way and win."
After the MCD results were announced, the AAP had 134 in the 250-member MCD, and BJP bagged 104 seats. However, an independent councillor joined BJP, taking the tally to 105. G
Gajendra Daral, who won from ward no 35 (Mundka), joined the BJP in the presence of the party's Delhi unit working president Virendra Sachdeva and its former chief Vijender Gupta.
Welcoming Daral into the party fold, Sachdeva said his joining the BJP will strengthen the party. "The BJP is a party in which every worker has a different responsibility and we are sure that Gajendra Daral will fulfil the responsibility given to him," he said.
Gupta said Daral has a "good hold" in rural areas and his joining the BJP will definitely strengthen the party.
Daral said he has joined the BJP "unconditionally" due to the spirit of service and work culture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party's ideology. "I will always continue to live up to the trust reposed in me by the strong organisation of Delhi Pradesh unit," the BJP statement quoted the councillor.
BJP sources added that two other independent candidates may also join the party soon.
