The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the dominant force in the crucial Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) by-elections, winning seven out of the twelve wards that went to polls. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured three seats, while the Congress and the All India Forward Bloc managed to clinch one ward each.
A Crucial Electoral Test for the Ruling Party
These by-elections were widely viewed as a significant test for the BJP, marking its first major electoral contest in the national capital since it formed the government in Delhi in February. The counting of votes commenced at 8 am across ten centers, with stringent security measures including CCTV surveillance and paramilitary personnel deployment in place.
The overall voter turnout was recorded at 38.51%, which is notably lower than the 50.47% turnout witnessed during the full-fledged civic body elections in 2022. The results provide a fresh snapshot of the political landscape in Delhi ahead of future electoral battles.
Ward-by-Ward Breakdown of Winners
The BJP's victories were spread across diverse constituencies, with some wins coming by substantial margins and others being nail-bitingly close. The party's winners and their defeated AAP rivals are as follows:
- Chandni Chowk: Suman Kumar Gupta (BJP) defeated Harsh Sharma (AAP) by 1,182 votes.
- Shalimar Bagh: Anita Jain (BJP) beat Babita Rana (AAP) by a large margin of 10,101 votes.
- Ashok Vihar: Veena Asija (BJP) won against Seema Goyal (AAP) by a narrow 405 votes.
- Dwarka-B: Manisha Devi (BJP) defeated Raj Bala (AAP) by 9,100 votes.
- Dichaon Kalan: Rekha Rani (BJP) beat Neetu (AAP) by 5,637 votes.
- Greater Kailash: Anjum Mandal (BJP) won against Eeshna Gupta (AAP) by 4,065 votes.
- Vinod Nagar: Sarala Chaudhari (BJP) defeated Geeta Rawat (AAP) by 1,769 votes.
The Aam Aadmi Party managed to secure three wards, demonstrating pockets of strong support. Their winning candidates are:
- Dakshinpuri: Ramswaroop Kanojia (AAP) defeated BJP's Rohini by 2,262 votes.
- Mundka: Anil (AAP) won against BJP's Jai Pal by 1,577 votes.
- Naraina: Rajan Arora (AAP) defeated BJP's Chandrakanta Shivani by a very slim margin of just 148 votes.
Congress and Forward Bloc Make a Mark
In a significant development, the Congress party opened its account by winning the Sangam Vihar A ward. Suresh Choudhary (Congress) beat BJP's Subhrajeet Gautam by 3,628 votes. Meanwhile, the All India Forward Bloc secured a victory in Chandni Mahal, where Mohd Imran defeated AAP's Mudassir Usman by 4,692 votes.
Reacting to the results, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed gratitude to the voters. She termed the BJP's performance as "a strong testament to the hard work and dedication of party workers." Gupta congratulated all the winners and reiterated her government's commitment to the ongoing development of Delhi.
The outcome of these bypolls sets the stage for the next phase of political dynamics in Delhi's municipal governance, with all major parties analyzing their strengths and weaknesses in the run-up to future elections.
