The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Wednesday dislodged the BJP from power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, giving it control over key civic sectors in the city, such as waste management, primary education and collection of property tax, reported The Indian Express.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people for AAP’s victory and sought the cooperation of the BJP and the Congress, as well as the “blessings” of the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to improve civic amenities.
With 250 wards in the MCD, the AAP won 134 while the BJP won 104, the Congress 9 and others 3. Of the 134 seats AAP won, 77 were wrested from the BJP. The spread of these 77 wards ranges from rural and outer Delhi to more affluent areas such as Civil Lines, RK Puram and Hauz Khas.
They also range from commercial pockets such as Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazar to residential areas such as Chittaranjan Park and Mayur Vihar. On the other hand, 14 of the 104 seats the BJP won were under the AAP’s control until now, reads the report.
This was the first election after the MCD was reunified earlier this year. The polls, which took place on 4 December, saw a voter turnout of only 50.48% — just over 73 lakh people from the total of 1.45 crore eligible voters.
While AAP managed to significantly increase its vote share as compared to the 2017 MCD elections, so did the BJP despite cornering fewer seats this time, as per the report.
