BJP eyes triple-engine govt as AAP opts out of mayoral race

The BJP appears to reclaim leadership of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), with the AAP announcing that it will not contest the mayoral elections scheduled for April 25.

The Congress, meanwhile, has entered the fray by fielding its candidates for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, making it a BJP versus Congress battle in the absence of AAP. The development comes amid AAP’s allegations of engineered defections and misuse of power by the BJP to secure a majority in the MCD House.

In a joint press conference on Monday, Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Atishi declared that the party would not be fielding any candidates for the posts of Mayor or Deputy Mayor.

“After engineering defections, the BJP now has a majority in the MCD House. The only way to win would be to break and buy councillors — and we do not believe in such politics,” said Atishi.

She accused the BJP of manipulating electoral outcomes through threats, inducements and misuse of power.

Atishi alleged that the BJP’s plan to regain MCD control was set in motion after its 2022 defeat when it rushed a Bill in Parliament to reunify the trifurcated municipal bodies. “The only real change was a reduction in the number of wards from 272 to 250. The move was simply to delay elections and redraw ward boundaries in BJP’s favour,” she claimed.

Saurabh Bharadwaj pointed to the events of March 2022 when the State Election Commission was allegedly forced to cancel its press conference announcing MCD polls.

“The BJP, through the L-G and the Centre, stalled the election process, buying time for delimitation and strategic restructuring of the wards,” he said.

The AAP leadership also alleged that the BJP attempted to rig previous mayoral polls by allowing aldermen to vote — something that was later ruled illegal. Despite losing the elections, the BJP, they claimed, had been trying to woo AAP councillors.

“We respect the people’s mandate. We don’t believe in breaking parties or buying elected representatives,” said Atishi. “The BJP now has a majority and is forming the municipal government. Let them fulfil the promises they’ve been making,” she said.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva called AAP’s announcement a pre-emptive surrender. “This is not a political sacrifice, it is a clear admission of defeat. Their leadership brought the MCD’s functioning to a standstill for two and a half years,” he said. He claimed that several AAP councillors were frustrated by the party’s internal dysfunction and obstructionist politics, which ultimately led to their defection.

“The BJP now has a triple-engine government — in the Centre, Lok Sabha and the MCD. The excuses are over. Now it is the time for action,” Sachdeva said.

Meanwhile, the MCD has confirmed candidates for the election. From the BJP, Raja Iqbal Singh (Ward 13, Mukherjee Nagar) is contesting for the post of Mayor, while Jai Bhagwan Yadav (Ward 27, Begumpur) is contesting for the post of Deputy Mayor. The Congress has fielded Mandeep Singh (Ward 47, Nangloi) and Ariba Khan (Ward 188, Abul Fazal Enclave) for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively.

The absence of AAP from the contest marks a significant shift in Delhi’s civic politics and ensures the BJP’s return to the helm of the MCD.

Delhi