The BJP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) locked horns Sunday by naming candidates for the November 30 MCD bypolls across 12 key Delhi wards, turning the civic contest into a brutal preview of the upcoming mayoral showdown. Vacancies arose after nine BJP and three AAP councillors jumped to Parliament or the Assembly, leaving battlegrounds like Mundka, Shalimar Bagh-B, Ashok Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Dwarka-B, Dakshinpuri, and Greater Kailash wide open for a ruthless grab at municipal control.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva unveiled a 12-strong lineup including Jaypal Singh Thakar (Mundka), Anita Jain (Shalimar Bagh-B), and Sushma Kumar Gupta (Chandni Chowk), vowing a "one-sided" sweep powered by the party's "triple-engine" dominance at Centre, state, and MCD levels. He claimed voters fed up with AAP's "filth and failure" would reward BJP's development record, with six general, five women-reserved, and one SC seat all in play for a decisive majority boost.
AAP struck first, fielding grassroots loyalists like Anil Lakra (Mundka), Babita Ahlawat (Shalimar Bagh-B), and Ram Swaroop Kanojia (Dakshinpuri), with Delhi convener Saurabh Bharadwaj slamming BJP's "parachute picks" and promising to bury them under an avalanche of local anger over pollution and garbage. Leader of Opposition Ankush Narang doubled down, pledging the cadre would deliver "honest cleanliness" and bury the saffron surge ward by ward.
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Currently ruling the 238-seat MCD with 115 councillors against AAP's 99, plus 16 IVP and eight Congress members, the BJP risks a dent in its razor-thin edge if AAP flips even a few seats. The bypolls could tip the scales for the next mayor race, making every vote a high-stakes referendum on who truly owns Delhi's streets, drains, and dustbins.
With the State Election Commission deploying observers, expenditure monitors, and a 'Nigam Chunav Delhi' app for real-time voter intel, the electoral machinery is primed for a no-holds-barred fight. As campaign engines rev up, Delhi's ward warriors are set to clash in a gritty, garbage-fueled showdown that could redraw the capital's civic map.
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