AAP retains dominance in Municipal Corporation poll

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) retained its dominance in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) by securing both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts in the elections held on Thursday.

Mahesh Khichi, councillor from Dev Nagar (Ward No. 84), was elected as Delhi’s first Dalit Mayor, defeating BJP’s Kishan Pal by a razor-thin margin. Ravindra Bhardwaj, AAP councillor from Aman Vihar (Ward No. 41), was elected Deputy Mayor unopposed after BJP candidate Neeta Bisht (Sadatpur, Ward No. 247) withdrew her nomination.

Khichi, who succeeds outgoing Mayor Shelly Oberoi, won with 133 votes against Pal’s 130 in a closely fought election. Out of the 265 votes cast, two were declared invalid. This slim margin added to the drama, with the BJP alleging cross-voting from AAP ranks.

While the AAP celebrated its win, the BJP highlighted the close margin as a sign of cracks within AAP. “Eight AAP councillors voting for the BJP and two votes being declared invalid is not only a victory for democracy, but also a big moral defeat for Arvind Kejriwal. He no longer has the moral right to remain the AAP convener,” the BJP said in a statement.

The BJP secured 130 votes despite its strength being 120, alleging that cross-voting played a significant role. The election was marked by a walkout from Congress councillors, protesting the truncated five-month term for the new Mayor. The Congress staged a demonstration, demanding a full one-year tenure for the Dalit Mayor, with slogans like “Dalit Mayor ko insaaf do, chaar mahine nahi, ek saal do (Give justice to the Dalit Mayor; not four months, but a full year).”

However, the walkout faced dissent from Congress councillor Sabila Begum of Mustafabad (Ward No. 243), who stayed back to vote for AAP candidate. Begum later resigned from the Congress, accusing the party of decisions that benefited the BJP.

“The Congress’s repeated walkouts only aid the BJP. My ward is a Muslim-majority area, and the people cannot support BJP in any way,” Begum said in her resignation letter, shared on X.

The Mayor’s election, typically held in April, was delayed multiple times this year due to political disputes. Khichi’s tenure will last only five months, a point of contention for Congress and other stakeholders.

Khichi becomes the third Dalit Mayor in Delhi’s history. He takes over amid rising tensions between AAP, BJP and Congress. The election results also raise questions about AAP’s internal unity and future challenges in maintaining its majority in the MC.

The AAP has a total of 127 councillors, three Rajya Sabha MPs and 13 MLAs. The BJP, with 114 councillors, seven MPs and one MLA, also holds significant strength in the opposition.

The election outcome solidifies AAP’s control over MCD but underscores the political challenges ahead, including allegations of cross-voting, internal party dynamics and the truncated tenure.