AAP opts out of mayor poll, BJP set to bag MCD
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta said the AAP’s withdrawal underscored that the party was aware of its weakening grip on the city’s voters
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday withdrew from the forthcoming mayoral elections after accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of threatening corporators to defect, in a move that gave the Capital’s ruling party control of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and power over all arms of the city’s governance.
“The BJP now has the majority in the MCD house. We will not contest the election as we do not believe in the politics of horse-trading. BJP should form the MCD government and show to people how its triple engine government can deliver,” senior AAP leader and former Delhi chief minister Atishi said.
The BJP dismissed the allegations and fielded Raja Iqbal Singh, who was mayor of the erstwhile North Delhi Municipal Corporation, for the April 25 mayoral contest, with Jai Bhagwan Yadav in the running for deputy.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta said the AAP’s withdrawal underscored that the party was aware of its weakening grip on the city’s voters.
“From elected representatives to ordinary people, everyone is disappointed with them. It’s actually good that they’re starting to realise the public sentiment in Delhi,” she said.
With this, the AAP, once a hegemon in the Capital’s politics that controlled the Delhi secretariat and Civic Centre, has lost control of all the wings of governance in the city. The BJP runs the state government and is in power in the Centre. The party has insisted a “triple-engine” administration will ensure seamless governance for the Capital.
To be sure, the AAP’s prospects in the election were already limited. The BJP’s councillor count has grown from 104 in 2022 to 117 this year. Its position was further strengthened after Delhi assembly speaker Vijender Gupta nominated the 11 BJP MLAs as nominated ex-officio MCD members.
From birth registrations, to primary education and health, maintaining basic sanitation to upkeep of our colony roads, parks and streetlights, MCD influences several significant aspects of a Delhi resident’s life. The municipal body, with an annual budget of more than ₹17,002.6 crore and around 150,000 employees is usually the first point of contact for a resident.
The electoral college that picks the Delhi mayor comprises the 250 councillors in the MCD House, the seven Lok Sabha members from Delhi, three Rajya Sabha MPs and the 14 MLAs nominated by the speaker of Delhi legislative assembly.
In 2022, the AAP won the civic polls with 134 councillors, against the BJP’s 104. However, its two-and-a-half-year tenure was affected by a raft of controversies and legal battles, with policy work largely coming to complete standstill, and key panels yet to be formed.
AAP mayors and the commissioner — who reports to the LG — have been at odds over a series of issues ranging from implementing the former ruling party’s priorities to acting against officials.
Since the party came to power, more than 30 house meetings have been marred by chaos with no discussions. At the same time, work to form 27 different ad-hoc bodies, special committees as well as standing committees remain stuck in political and legal battles. The absence of the standing committee, which controls MCD’s purse-strings, has led to all policy matters and projects that cost above ₹5 crore being put on hold.
The previous mayoral election on November 14, 2024 saw the AAP candidate Mahesh Khinchi winning by just three votes. Since then, a series of defections appeared to have handed the BJP the upper-hand.
Out of the electoral college of 274 members (councillors, MPs and MLAs), the BJP now appears to have the support of 135 members and the AAP has the backing of 119 members. Twelve seats are vacant on account of councillors being elected as MLAs and one as an MP.
Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the “BJP must now run its “four-engine government in Delhi and fulfil its promises without making excuses.”
“Through inducements, threats and every possible tactic, the AAP councillors have been made to defect to the BJP. The BJP can have its own mayor and standing committee. Now, without making any excuses, the BJP should deliver on its promises through its four-engine government,” Bharadwaj said.
“From now on, BJP is solely responsible for every problem in Delhi,” he added. Despite the AAP’s announcement, the municipal secretariat office at Civic Centre remained abuzz with activity.
The BJP delegation, comprising three MPs, accompanied candidates to file nomination papers around 1.15pm. Singh called his probable win a “victory for Delhi’s people”.
“Now, a triple-engine government will be formed and Delhi’s development will begin. The biggest issue in Delhi is cleanliness. Delhi should be clean and green. We will work on educational facilities and primary health centres and try to maintain hygiene at all settlements,” said Singh, who was North MCD mayor from 2021 to 2022.
Later in the evening, the Congress delegation also filed nomination papers, with Mandeep Singh filing for mayor and Ariba Khan for deputy mayor. Mandeep Singh represents Nangloi, ward 47, while Ariba Khan is the councillor from Abul Fazal Enclave, ward 188.
“Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party, which holds a significant presence in Delhi politics, did not nominate candidates for either position,” MCD said in an official statement.
A senior AAP leader who asked not to be named said the party was also apprehensive of large-scale cross voting in the event of voting.
“We have seen cross-voting in favour of BJP in the last election when AAP was in power in the state assembly. Now the situation has become even worse. The party would have lost face in the event of its numbers going below 100,” said the leader.
