MCD ward committee polls: AAP bags 4 zones, BJP wins 3; final result awaited

New Delhi: The MCD zonal ward committee polls seem to be heading towards a nail-biting finish with the ruling AAP bagging four and the opposition BJP three of the nine zones till 12 pm on Wednesday.

The councillors are voting to elect a chairman and deputy chairman for nine of the 12 zonal-level ward committees, and one member each for the standing committee, MCD's highest decision-making body.

Elections in three zones -- Karol Bagh, City SP, and Keshav Puram -- were not held as either the BJP or the AAP did not field their candidates.

In the Karol Bagh Zone, AAP councillor Rakesh Joshi was elected unopposed as chairman of the ward committee while Jyoti Gautam and Ankush Narang bagged the posts of deputy chairman and member of the standing committee since the BJP did not field any candidate.

Similarly, AAP candidates Mohd Sadiq, Kiran Bala and Punardeep Singh Sawhney were elected unopposed as chairman, deputy chairman of the ward committee, and member of the standing committee from City SP Zone in the absence of any candidates from the BJP.

BJP candidates were elected unopposed from the Keshav Puram Zone.

Rohini and West Zones were among the four won by the AAP.

In Rohini, AAP's Suman Anil Rana won the president's post by defeating her BJP rival. Dharm Rakshak and Daulat bagged the posts of deputy chairman and standing committee member after the BJP candidates withdrew nominations for the two posts.

In the West Zone, the BJP candidates withdrew their nominations for the three posts.

The elections went off smoothly amid heavy security deployment.

Talking about the results, Aaley Mohammad Iqbal, deputy mayor of MCD, told PTI Videos, "There is no doubt that we will win most of the zones. I am confident that the Aam Aadmi Party will win the Standing Committee elections." BJP candidate Sushil Jonty, who won the deputy chairman post from Keshav Puram, said, "There was no opposition candidate. This is a crucial election as it determines the role of the MCD. Development in Delhi had stalled because the mayor and Aam Aadmi Party were not sharing responsibilities. These elections, which had been delayed for a long time, will now accelerate Delhi's progress." BJP councillors won from Najafgarh and Shahdara South zones. Former East Delhi mayor Neema Bhagat was elected as a standing committee member from Shahdara South Zone.

The voting is being done in two clusters of all the MCD zones held simultaneously with councillors of five zones casting their votes together while the remaining zones will go to polls separately.

The long pending elections are being held for the first time after the unification of the MCD in 2022. Due to the political deadlock between the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP, the polls could not take place and the matter became subjudice.

The elections are being held through secret ballot in accordance with the Delhi Municipal Corporation Regulations, 1958.

Anticipating a face-off between the two parties, the police had beefed up security arrangements in and around the Civic Centre located in central Delhi.

A company of paramilitary personnel along with local police has been deployed at the spot.