NEW DELHI: Major political parties in the national capital have begun preparations for the upcoming by-elections to 12 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), as the State Election Commission (SEC) readies to announce the poll dates.
The BJP leaders said they are fully prepared and waiting for the SEC’s announcement, while the AAP and Congress has also claimed readiness to contest. On Saturday, the SEC held a meeting with the Delhi Police Commissioner and is scheduled to meet the Chief Secretary this week to finalise arrangements.
As many as 11 councillors — eight from the BJP and three from the AAP — were elected to the Delhi Assembly earlier this year, while another seat fell vacant after BJP councillor-turned-MP Kamaljeet Sehrwat’s election to the Lok Sabha. With these vacancies, the city now gears up for by-elections in 12 MCD wards.
In the MCD elections held in December 2022, AAP had won 134 of the 250 seats, BJP secured 104, and Congress nine, with the remaining seats going to Independents. However, in the absence of the anti-defection law in the MCD, several councillors switched sides, changing the equation: AAP currently holds 113 seats, BJP 117, and Congress eight.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the party is confident of a strong performance. “Poll preparations are underway, and we are in a comfortable position to win 9–10 seats this time. People of Delhi have rejected AAP in the Assembly polls and are ready to defeat them again in the by-elections,” Kapoor said.
After AAP skipped the recent Mayoral polls — allowing BJP to return to power in the MCD after two years — the party now aims to regain lost ground through the ward by-elections. It has appointed in-charges for the vacant wards, including several former MLAs. The SEC on Saturday directed Returning Officers to finalise polling stations for their wards by October 13.
The draft list of polling stations has already been published, inviting suggestions from voters. Each ward is linked to an Assembly constituency, and electoral rolls updated on January 1, 2025, will be used. Of the 12 wards, five are reserved for women and one for Scheduled Caste candidates.
Draft list of polling stations published
The SEC on Saturday directed Returning Officers to finalise polling stations for their wards by October 13. The draft list of polling stations has already been published, inviting suggestions from voters. Of the 12 wards, five are reserved for women and one for Scheduled Caste candidates.