Ahead of MCD Mayoral polls, BJP sets 15-month target to clear landfill

According to the statement, the meeting held at the partys state headquarters is 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.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Tuesday urged party councillors, in a meeting ahead of the April 29 mayoral polls, to ensure cleanliness across every street and road in the city. Sachdeva said councillors, along with their MLAs, should commit to maintaining cleanliness while the MCD works to clear all three landfill sites in the next 15 months. According to the statement, the meeting held at the party's state headquarters is 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. Newly inducted into the BJP, Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal attended the meeting for the first time. The electoral college for this year's mayoral election 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, as the incumbents hold the majority. With the recent induction of AAP's seven Rajya Sabha members into the party's fold, 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 emphasised that the new Mayor would prioritise resolving 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. The meeting was addressed by Sachdeva and Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra and attended by MPs Manoj Tiwari, Yogender Chandolia and Kamaljeet Sehrawat, among others. Current Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, mayoral candidate Pravesh Wahi, deputy mayoral candidate Monika Pant, and Standing Committee candidates Jaibhagwan Yadav and Manish Chadha were also present. Singh thanked councillors for their support during his tenure as Mayor and earlier as Leader of the Opposition. Sachdeva said the current MCD House has been effective, adding that ''although the party initially came in as a minority, it later became the largest party and, with allied support, succeeded in electing its Mayor last year and is now running the municipal administration.'' Malhotra said the party's recent victory in 15 municipal corporations in Gujarat has boosted morale and urged councillors to ensure full attendance and secure not only 100 per cent of votes but also an overwhelming majority in the elections.