Cong gains, AAP debuts, no achhe din for BJP
By-elections to 13 municipal wards in Delhi saw the ruling BJP lose ground and the Aam Aadmi Party making a dull debut in the civic bodies. But it was good news for the Congress as it made a comeback of sorts.
The results of the by-polls held on Sunday were announced on Tuesday, with the AAP winning five wards, the Congress four and the BJP three. An Independent candidate won in one of the wards, but the Congress quickly announced that he had joined the party.
A total of 3.06 lakh voters had cast their ballot on a sweltering Sunday. In the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, there were seven wards up for grabs. The AAP won four while the BJP and the Congress won one each. The last ward was bagged by Independent candidate Rajendra Singh Tanwar. In the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, where four wards went to polls, the BJP won in two, while the Congress and AAP won one each. For the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, both the wards went to the Congress.
While these by-polls were a ‘small’ election, they were seen as a litmus test for both the AAP, which swept the Delhi Assembly polls just last year, and the BJP, which has been in power in the corporations since 2007.
Seven of the 13 wards were won by the BJP in the 2012 elections and they managed to retain only two. The saving grace for the party was the vote share: it got 34.11 per cent, the maximum by any party.
Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said getting the largest vote share was satisfactory, but the party was concerned about the number of seats it won. “The people have spoken; they have had enough of the false assurances given to them by the AAP,” Mr. Upadhyay said.
This was the first time the AAP contested the municipal polls. In the 2015 assembly elections, the party led in 12 of these wards. The party also lost a whopping 24 per cent vote share compared to 2015.
AAP spokesperson Deepak Bajpai said the party had expected a better performance but was “reasonably satisfied” with the tally of seats. “Delhiites are tired of the AAP’s tall promises and the BJP’s corruption in the corporations,” said DPCC chief Ajay Maken.
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