The Aam Aadmi Party suffered another setback last week when its three municipal councilors joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Delhi Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Mayor.
Vikas came after a week in civic body administration when Saffron party defeated AAP Delhi assembly poleThe three councilors are Anita Basoya (Andrews Ganj), Nikhil Chaprana (Hari Nagar) and Dharmavir (RK Puram).
Triple engine government?
Welcoming councilors, BJP’s Delhi unit president Virendra Sachdeva Said that a “triple-engine” in the national capital will be “Sarkar-at the right time to develop Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the ‘Vidyat Bharat” at the assembly and municipal level-at the right time.
Switch by three AAP leaders means that Municipal body of Delhi, After the MCD poll in December 2022, BJP now has 116 councilors from 104. The strength of AAP is less than 114, compared to 134 earlier. Congress has one and eight seats. The remaining 12 seats are vacant.
Currently, MCD Mayor Mahesh Kumar is a member of AAP.
Has the power structure changed in Delhi MCD changed?
Does the defection of AAP leaders change the power structure in MCD? Not for now, at least. The BJP has scored a slight majority in the house, but it means very low, at least by the end of the current Mayor’s tenure in March.
With all three joining AAP councilorBJP’s tally is now more than AAP. However, MCD mayor, an AAP leader, can work without the need to prove majority by March. With the Mayor elections scheduled for April, it definitely benefits the BJP.
How is a mayor chosen?
Electoral College consists of 274 members for the mayorl elections: 250 elected councilors, ten MPs of the capital (seven) Lok SabhaThree Rajya Sabha), and 14 MLAs nominated the party’s strength in the assembly by the MCD speaker.
What happened in the last mayor election?
AAP won the last mayor election, Conducted in November 2024By three votes. In addition to councilors, Consumption Lok Sabha MPs (all BJP), three Rajya Sabha MPs (all AAPs), and 14 enrolled MLAs in Delhi are voters for MCD mayor and deputy mayor.
BJP also has its 10 MLAs nominated in MCD, while AAP will have four nominations for the civic body,
There will be a ‘triple engine’ government at the Center, Assembly and Municipal level in the national capital.
In 2022 MCD poll, AAP won 134 wards, BJP 104, Congress 9 and Independents 3.
