Delhi civic polls: BJP headed for win

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) was
Tuesday headed for a big
win in the Delhi civic polls
with 49 of its candidates
emerging victorious in 80 of
272 wards for which results
were declared.
The party, which could
control the civic administration
in Delhi again, was
also leading in more than 60
seats, election offi cials said.
The Congress, whose Sheila
Dikshit is in her third consecutive
term as the Delhi
chief minister, has claimed
only 19 seats so far.
In the counting of votes
for the recently trifurcated
Municipal Corporation of
Delhi (MCD), the BJP till
12.30 p.m. had secured 18
seats in north Delhi, 20 in
south and 10 in east Delhi.
The Congress had won six
in north Delhi, nine in south
and four in east Delhi.
Two candidates from the
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
and one each from the Janata
Dal-United (JD-U) and the
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)
won as well along with eight
Independents.
The MCD, recently trifurcated
by the Congress-led
Delhi government, has jurisdiction
over 97 percent of
the area in the capital. The
other three percent is under
the New Delhi Municipal
Corporation (NDMC)
and the Delhi Cantonment
Board. There are now 104
wards each in the south and
north corporations and 64 in
the east. Of the 272 seats,
138 are reserved for women.
Counting of votes, cast in
Sunday’s polls, is taking
place amid tight security.
The votes decide the fate of
2,423 candidates who contested
the polls.
The BJP, which had 164
councillors in the undivided
MCD against the Congress’
67 and the BSP’s 17, had
highlighted issues of corruption
and price rise by the
Dikshit-led government.
Among the BJP candidates
who have won are Pravesh
Wahi from Rohini’s ward
No. 21, Shanta Jain from
Rithala’s ward No. 22,
Gopal Singh from Prem
Nagar ward No. 36, Raj Kumar
from Kalyan Puri ward