The BJP lost two wards and the Congress gained one in the bypolls to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Bypolls were held in 12 of the 250 wards to fill the vacancies of 11 councillors who were elected as MLAs this year and one elected as an MP last year.
These were the first elections in Delhi since the Assembly polls in February that brought the BJP to power in the national capital after 27 years.
Of the 12 wards, nine were held by the BJP and three by the AAP. The BJP lost a ward each to the AAP and the Congress, while the AAP lost a ward to the Forward Bloc.
The results do not affect the BJP’s hold on the municipal body. Although in a minority, the BJP rules the MCD with the outside support of the AAP splinter Indraprastha Vikas Party.
Net gains were made only by the Congress and the Bloc. Congress’s Suresh Choudhary won the Sangam Vihar-A ward — part of India’s biggest slum — by defeating the BJP’s Subhajeet Gautam. The Grand Old Party had remained unrepresented in the Delhi Assembly since 2015.
The Bloc opened its MCD account by snatching Old Delhi’s Chandni Mahal from the AAP after six-time MLA Shoaib Iqbal quit the AAP and backed M. Imran of the Bloc. Iqbal was with the Janata Dal and its successor parties before moving to the Congress and finally the AAP, which he quit this year.
While the turnout for the bypolls was a low 38.51 per cent, Chandni Mahal recorded 55.93 per cent voting.
“This victory is a strong testament to the tireless hard work, dedication and collective strength of our diligent workers and the organisation,” chief minister Rekha Gupta posted on X.
Top Congress leaders congratulated Choudhary.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal posted on X: “In just 10 months, the public’s trust is once again rapidly returning towards the Aam Aadmi Party. Delhi is very soon returning towards positive politics and good work.”