MCD bypolls: BJP wins 7 wards, AAP 3, Congress opens account
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP won seven of the 12 wards, while the AAP won three and the Congress secured one ward in the MCD bypolls, the results of which were announced on Wednesday.
The Congress snatched the Sangam Vihar A ward from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The bypolls were held on November 30.
The All India Forward Bloc, backed by local heavyweight Shoaib Iqbal, opened its account with a victory in Chandni Mahal, defeating the AAP candidate.
The civic body bypolls were a litmus test for the BJP, as these were its first big electoral battle after coming to power in the capital in February.
The BJP, which previously held nine of the 12 wards, could not retain the Mundka, Sangam Vihar A and Naraina wards. It, however, managed to wrest the prestigious Chandni Chowk ward back from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Interestingly, of the seven BJP winners, six were women.
According to the State Election Commission, the BJP secured a vote share of 45.09 per cent, while the AAP and the Congress managed to get a vote share of 34.97 per cent and 13.44 per cent respectively.
The results proved a mixed bag for the AAP, which previously held three of the 12 wards. It lost the minority-dominated Chandni Mahal and Chandni Chowk wards, while it defeated the BJP in Munka, Dakshinpuri and Naraina.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed gratitude to the voters after the bypoll results were announced.
In a post on X, Gupta said the BJP's victory is a strong testament to the tireless hard work of its workers, and the dedication and collective strength of the organisation.
BJP leaders, including Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, said the AAP has lost face in Chandni Mahal and Chandni Chowk due to its "corruption" record.
During campaigning for the MCD bypolls, several BJP leaders had asserted that the party would improve its tally by winning at least 10 of the 12 wards.
The saffron party had appointed Delhi ministers as in-charges of two wards each. The BJP lost the Mundka ward where Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa was the in-charge, while it also failed to retain the Dakshinpuri and Sangam Vihar A wards that were under the charge of Parvesh Kumar Verma.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the margin of defeat for the party was small in two wards and the results will be reviewed to find out the reasons for the loss.
The BJP won seven wards and the AAP three, while the Congress and the Forward Bloc emerged victorious in one ward each.
BJP's Suman Kumar Gupta defeated AAP's Harsh Sharma by a margin of 1,182 votes in Chandni Chowk.
The saffron party also comfortably won the Shalimar Bagh B ward, with Anita Jain defeating AAP's Babita Rana by a margin of more than 10,000 votes.
The Shalimar Bagh B ward was vacated after BJP councillor Gupta won the Assembly polls and went on to become the chief minister.
The AAP won the Mundka and Dakshinpuri wards, while the Congress's Suresh Choudhary won the Sangam Vihar A ward by defeating the BJP's Subhajeet Gautam.
Choudhary polled 12,766 votes, while his opponent managed to get 9,138 votes.
Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav thanked the party workers for the victory and extended heartfelt greetings to the people of Sangam Vihar.
BJP's Veena Asija was locked in a close fight with AAP's Seema Goyal but surged ahead to win the Ashok Vihar ward by a margin of 405 votes.
Forward Bloc candidate Mohammad Imran won the Chandni Mahal ward by defeating AAP's Mudassar Usman by a margin of 4,692 votes.
The BJP also won the Dichaon Kalan and Greater Kailash wards and the Dwarka-B ward, which was earlier held by its leader, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who is now an MP.
BJP's Manisha Rani won the Dwarka-B ward by a comfortable margin of 9,100 votes against AAP's Raj Bala.
AAP's Rajan Arora won the Naraina seat by just 148 votes against BJP's Chandrakanta Shivani.
The counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security.
The State Election Commission had set up 10 counting centres, one each at Kanjhawala, Pitampura, Bharat Nagar, Civil Lines, Rouse Avenue, Dwarka, Najafgarh, Gole Market, Pushp Vihar and Mandawali.
The strong rooms where the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were stored after polling were secured with adequate measures, including round-the-clock CCTV surveillance and the deployment of paramilitary and Delhi Police personnel.
The vote percentage in the bypolls was 38.51, as compared to 50.47 in the MCD election held for 250 wards in 2022.
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SIT formed to probe second sexual assault case against expelled Cong MLA Mamkootathil
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe a second case of sexual assault against expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, police officials said on Friday.
The SIT will be led by G Poonguzhali, Assistant Inspector General at the Police Headquarters.
The team also includes a DSP rank officer and sub-inspectors, officials added.
The second sexual assault complaint was received by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, which it forwarded to the state police chief.
ALSO READ: Cong expels rape-accused MLA Mamkootathil from party's primary membership
Following this, the Crime Branch registered a case and launched an investigation.
Crime Branch officials said the email complaint contained only the sender's email ID and no other contact details.
As part of the probe, they have sent a reply email requesting that the complainant contact them and provide her statement.
The complainant has alleged that she was sexually assaulted under the false promise of marriage, a Crime Branch official said.
However, details such as the location and date of the alleged incident are not currently available to the police.
The SIT will attempt to trace the sender of the email and record her statement, which is crucial for further investigation, the officer said.
Mamkootathil was expelled from the Congress party on Thursday after a court here rejected his anticipatory bail petition in another rape case.
Police said he is currently absconding, and a manhunt is underway in Kerala and neighbouring states.
