BJP sweeps MCD, AAP comes distant second with 48 seats

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained all the three municipal corporations in the national capital for the third term in a row by retaining 181 out of the 270 seats, handing a humiliating defeat to Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress that won 48 and 30 seats respectively.

The results come three days after the voting took place in 270 wards across the three civic bodies—North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD)—on 23 April.

BJP President Amit Shah, in order to counter 10 years of anti-incumbency in Delhi, has not fielded its incumbent corporator yet.

Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal alleged tampering in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and Ajay Maken, taking responsibility for defeat of the Congress, announced his decision to step down as the Delhi Congress President.

However, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu dismissed allegations of EVM tampering and blamed AAP for having failed to understand the mood of the nation. “These allegations are unsubstantial. BJP government was at the Centre even when the Delhi assembly elections took place (in 2015),” he said. He further blamed the party’s “poor performance” for its abysmal show in the elections.

Speaking to the media on the BJP’s massive victory, Amit Shah on Wednesday said the party’s win in the Delhi civic polls was a vote in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three years in power and a vote against the “negative politics” of the AAP.

The resentment among Congress leaders surfaced when Delhi’s former chief minister Sheila Dikshit said that the party, led by Ajay Maken, failed to reach out to people. She blamed the lack of involvement of the senior leadership for the poll debacle.

The overall turnout was recorded at 54%.