The Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated Pravesh Wahi, the councillor from the Rohini E ward, as its candidate for the mayoral election of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi scheduled for April 29. With the party holding a majority in the House and the Aam Aadmi Party deciding to abstain from the contest, Wahi is expected to secure a comfortable victory.
Who is Pravesh Wahi?
Pravesh Wahi belongs to the Khatri Punjabi community, with his family originally migrating from Rawalpindi. He completed his early education at an MCD primary school in Old Delhi and has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since his early teens. In 1990, he served as an area representative of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and later became a district president in 1998. He joined the BJP Yuva Morcha in 2002 and held several organisational roles before entering electoral politics. Wahi was first elected as a councillor in 2007 from Rohini, then Naharpur, and served a second term from 2012 to 2017. During his tenure, he held key positions, including chairman of the Rohini zonal committee from 2010 to 2012 and chairman of the standing committee in the erstwhile North Corporation from 2016 to 2017.
Expressing gratitude towards Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other Delhi government ministers for nominating him, Wahi stated that the MCD's financial crisis was no longer a pressing issue. If elected, he said, he would focus on significantly improving sanitation services with the support of the Delhi government, which has been providing funds. He added, "We took over MCD a year ago and since then have been making all efforts to improve its functioning. I expect and request the opposition to help run the House smoothly and allow discussions on genuine issues."
Priorities and Plans
Wahi emphasised that the BJP would prioritise improvements in sanitation, parks, street lighting, and the time-bound management and flattening of landfills. He said, "We will also focus on strict implementation of solid waste management rules. While agencies have been engaged to minimise waste transfer to landfills, residents must contribute through segregation at source. Delhi's roads will be made pothole-free in collaboration with the Delhi government."
Electoral College and Strategy
On Monday, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta nominated 14 legislators to the MCD mayoral poll electoral college, including 11 MLAs from the BJP and three from the AAP. The next full general election for all 250 wards of the MCD is likely in 2027, as the current House has a five-year term from its first meeting in late 2022. However, under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the mayor's term is only one year. Members of Parliament, who hold voting rights in the MCD along with the 14 nominated MLAs, reviewed their strategy to ensure a smooth victory for the BJP's mayoral candidate, party officials said.
The meeting was addressed by Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva and Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra. It was attended by MPs Manoj Tiwari, Yogender Chandolia, and Kamaljeet Sehrawat, among others. Current Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, mayoral candidate Pravesh Wahi, deputy mayoral candidate Monika Pant, and Standing Committee candidates Jaibhagwan Yadav and Manish Chadha were also present. Singh thanked councillors for their support during his tenure as Mayor and earlier as Leader of the Opposition.
Sachdeva said the current MCD House has been effective, adding that "although the party initially came in as a minority, it later became the largest party and, with allied support, succeeded in electing its Mayor last year and is now running the municipal administration." Malhotra noted that the party's recent victory in 15 municipal corporations in Gujarat has boosted morale and urged councillors to ensure full attendance and secure not only 100 per cent of votes but also an overwhelming majority in the elections.
