Delhi mayoral polls: Independent councillor Gajendra Daral joins BJP

New Delhi: Independent councillor Gajendra Daral, who won the recently held municipal elections from Mundka, joined the BJP here on Monday, the party's Delhi unit said in a statement.

The development comes ahead of the mayoral polls due on January 6.

Three Independent candidates, including two women, had emerged victorious in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections held on December 4.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the elections with 134 seats and the BJP bagged 104 seats in the 250-member civic body.

Daral joined the BJP in the presence of the party's Delhi unit working president Virendra Sachdeva and its former chief Vijender Gupta.

Welcoming Daral into the party fold, Sachdeva said his joining the BJP will strengthen the party.

"The BJP is a party in which every worker has a different responsibility and we are sure that Gajendra Daral will fulfil the responsibility given to him," he said.

Gupta said Daral has a "good hold" in rural areas and his joining the BJP will definitely strengthen the party.

Daral said he has joined the BJP "unconditionally" due to the spirit of service and work culture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party's ideology.

"I will always continue to live up to the trust reposed in me by the strong organisation of Delhi Pradesh unit," the BJP statement quoted the councillor as saying.

With Daral joining the BJP, the party's strength in the MCD has risen to 105.