In the first by-elections since the BJP took over the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the party won seven wards, while the Aam Aadmi Party retained its three seats. The Congress and the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) emerged victorious in one ward each in the MCD bypolls for 12 wards.
BJP
The seven seats won by the BJP include Dwarka-B, Shalimar Bagh-B, Chandni Chowk, Ashok Vihar, Greater Kailash, Dichaon Kalan and Vinod Nagar.
While BJP’s Suman Kumar Gupta defeated AAP candidate Harsh Sharma by a margin of 1,182 votes in Chandni Chowk, the saffron party retained the Shalimar Bagh-B seat when Anita Jain won the seat by a margin of 10,101 votes. The Shalimar Bagh B ward was vacated after sitting BJP councillor Rekha Gupta won the assembly polls in February and became Delhi's chief minister.
BJP’s Neena Asija and Manisha Devi won Ashok Vihar and Dwarka-B, respectively, by a margin of 405 and 9,100 votes.
Rekha Rani won from Dichaon Kalan by 5,637 votes, while Anjum Mandal won from Greater Kailash by 4,065 votes. Sarla Chaudhary emerged as the winner from Vinod Nagar by 1,769 votes.
AAP
AAP’s Ramswaroop Kanojia won from South Puri ward by 2,262 votes, while the party candidate in Mundka, Anil, won from Mundka by a margin of 1,577 votes. Rajan Arora was leading from Naraina ward by a margin of 148 votes, according to reports.
Other candidates
Mohammad Imran of AIFB won from Chandni Mahal by 4,692 votes, while Suresh Chaudhary of Congress won from Sangam Vihar by 3,628 votes.
What it indicates
The BJP previously held nine of the 12 seats for which by-elections were held, which indicates that it has suffered a setback in this election. After the BJP's big victory in the assembly elections earlier this year, this by-election is being considered the first major test of the political mood in Delhi.
However, chief minister Rekha Gupta downplayed the BJP’s dismal performance, calling the victory a powerful testament to the tireless hard work and dedication of our dedicated workers.
As for AAP, the victory in three seats was a weapon against the BJP. AAP chief Saurabh Bhardwaj took a dig at the BJP, stating that while the elections were small, it highlighted how the party was on a decline, as evident from the first litmus test for the party after the Assembly elections. He said that while the AAP maintained its seat count, the BJP's decline from 9 to 7 indicates that voters are dissatisfied with the party.
Targeting BJP leaders, he said that senior BJP leaders and MPs had declared from the stage that if AAP councillors are elected, they will not let them work. Bhardwaj said that despite these threats, the BJP's numbers have declined.