73 nominations filed for Delhi civic bypolls

Over 70 nominations, including duplicate applications from some candidates, have been received by poll authorities for the February 28 civic bypolls, officials said on Monday.

February 8 was the last date to file nominations for the by-elections for which all the parties -- BJP, Congress and AAP -- have fielded candidates.

"A total of 73 nominations have been received by the Delhi State Election Commission till today (Monday). However, many candidates have filed duplicate applications too, so final figures we will get to know post scrutiny," a senior official said.

By-elections to fill vacancies in five municipal wards in the national capital will be held with all COVID-19 safety precautions, they said.

The State Election Commission of Delhi had earlier said the bypolls will be held for two wards under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and three under the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).

The wards are -- Ward No. 32N, (Rohini-C); Ward No. 62N, (Shalimar Bagh North) in north Delhi and Ward No. 02-E (Trilokpuri); Ward No. 08-E (Kalyanpuri) and Ward No. 41-E (Chauhan Bangar) in east Delhi.

The bypolls will be held from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm.

The filling of nomination papers for municipal corporation by-elections in Delhi was marked by 'padyatra', 'puja' and claims of victory by party leaders on Monday.

Four of the five wards fell vacant after sitting councillors contested assembly polls on AAP tickets last year and became MLAs.

The Shalimar Bagh ward fell vacant following the death of Renu Jaju, who had won the seat on a BJP ticket in 2017.

Delhi has 272 wards, and while the NDMC and South Delhi Municipal Corporation have 104 municipal wards each, the EDMC has 64 wards.

The BJP has been controlling all three corporations since 2012.