MCD Mayor poll: BJP meets to seal strategy on the eve of vote

The electoral college for this years mayoral election -- to be held on Wednesday -- comprises 273 votes, including 249 councillors, 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly, seven Lok Sabha MPs, and three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi who will decide the mayor.

Ahead of high-stakes MCD mayoral polls, BJP's city MPs, including newly-inducted Swati Maliwal, met with party's Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva on Tuesday to finalise the strategy for the April 29 election. The meeting, held at the party's state headquarters, is likely to ensure a unified front as the electoral college prepares to elect the next mayor, deputy mayor and three vacant seats in the standing committee for Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections. The electoral college for this year's mayoral election -- to be held on Wednesday -- comprises 273 votes, including 249 councillors, 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly, seven Lok Sabha MPs, and three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi who will decide the mayor. A candidate requires 137 votes to win the election. The BJP has already fielded Pravesh Wahi, a seasoned three-term councillor from Rohini-East, as its mayoral candidate. With AAP opting out of the contest and the Congress nominating Haji Zarif, it is likely that the BJP candidate is going to sail through the elections without any hiccups, as the incumbents hold the majority. With the recent induction of AAP's seven Rajya Sabha members into the party's fold and the Arvind Kejriwal-led party announcing its decision to stay out of the contest, the BJP's sole focus is on capitalising on its strengthened numbers in the 273-member electoral college. Going by current numbers, the BJP holds an edge with 143 votes, including 123 councillors, seven Lok Sabha and two Rajya Sabha MPs and 11 MLAs. The AAP has 105 votes, comprising 100 councillors, three MLAs, and two Rajya Sabha members, with Swati Maliwal recently quitting the party and joining the BJP. Within the saffron camp, senior leaders have emphasised that the upcoming term would prioritise smoothing the administrative deadlock and fast-tracking civic projects across the city. Meanwhile, the Indraprastha Vikas Party, which splintered from AAP, has 15 councillors; the Congress has nine; two are independents; and one seat is vacant. On Monday, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta nominated 14 legislators to the MCD mayoral poll electoral college, with 11 MLAs from the BJP and three from AAP. Further, the next full general election for all 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is likely to be held in 2027, as the current term of the House is five years from its first meeting in late 2022. The mayor's term, as per the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, is only one year. The MPs, who hold vital voting rights in the MCD alongside the newly nominated 14 MLAs, reviewed the strategy to ensure a seamless victory for their candidate, Pravesh Wahi, party officials said.