The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday, 7 December surpassed the majority mark and secured victory in 132 seats in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections, the polling for which was conducted on 4 December across Delhi. Here is all you need to know:
How many seats?: Of the total 250 seats, AAP won 132, while the BJP came a close second after winning 104 seats. The Congress’ tally, however, dropped to a dismal nine seats, while three seats went to other candidates.
Why is this important? The Arvind Kejriwal-led party wrested power from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has helmed the national capital’s municipal body for the past 15 years. AAP had banked its campaign on anti-incumbency.
What did Kejriwal say? After the results were announced, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people of Delhi for the clear mandate and “bringing change.”
"I want the cooperation of the BJP and the Congress to work for Delhi now. I appeal to the Centre and ask for the Prime Minister's blessings to make Delhi better. We must make MCD corruption-free. Today, the people of Delhi have given a message to the entire nation."Arvind Kejriwal
What do the numbers signify? AAP may have won the MCD elections, but not with the margin they were hoping to, or are used to in Delhi. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly elections, of the total 70 seats, AAP won 67 and 62 seats respectively.
Meanwhile, the BJP, which has ruled the MCD since 2007, has not only managed to win more than 100 seats, but also increased their vote share from 36% in 2017 to 39% in 2022.
What worked in BJP’s favour?: The high-decibel campaign starring Union Ministers and star campaigners is likely to have swayed the people in the saffron party’s favour. Add to this, the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi – all seven Lok Sabha constituencies were won by the BJP in 2014 and 2019 general election.
Besides, allegations of corruption against AAP in the Delhi Excise Policy, and videos of Satyendar Jain getting preferential treatment in jail provided BJP with enough ammunition.
What about the Congress? The Congress’ seat share as well as vote share plummeted in the elections, as the party stared at the existential dread of being wiped out of the national capital.
In the 2017 MCD elections, the Congress had managed to win 30 seats, cornering a vote share of 21%. This time around, though, the party has won a meagre nine seats with a vote share of nearly 12%, getting further marginalized in Delhi.
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