New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) The BJP is headed for a landslide victory winning 103 wards while the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress bagged 26 and 8 seats respectively in initial results of the municipal corporation elections. According to results, the BJP won 35 seats and the Aam Aadmi Party managed to get 15 seats in North MCD. In the East municipal corporation, the BJP won 27 wards while the AAP got only six seats. In the civic body, the Congress bagged six seats. In South MCD, the BJP won 41 wards while the AAP and the Congress bagged five and seven seats respectively. In North Delhi, the AAP has municipal wards in Aman Vihar, Mukundpur, Sultan Puri A, Shastri Nagar, Nimri Colony, Ballimaran and Rampura. The BJP has won wards in Kishan Ganj, Rohtas Nagar, Dilshad Garden, Krishna Nagar among others. Counting of votes began at 8 AM today with the BJP gaining early leads in all the three municipal corporations- NDMC, SDMC and EDMC. Earlier in the day, the AAP leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were huddled at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence as the trends showed a poor show by the party. The prospects of a “massive” defeat loomed large over the AAP, close on the heels of the bypolls for Rajouri Garden Assembly seat where BJP-Akali Dal candidate won while party candidate lost his security deposit. Trends showed that the AAP was trailing far behind the BJP which has been accused by the Kejriwal-led party of “corruption and mismanagement” during its 10-year rule. The Congress whose Delhi unit president Ajay Maken had said that the MCD polls will be a referendum on Kejriwal government, appeared to be heading for third place in the contest that it had claimed to won with victory in over 200 wards. PTI
MCD polls: BJP hat-trick; AAP faults EVMs, Maken, Chacko resign
New Delhi: Underlining its supremacy in the Municipal Corporations of Delhi, the BJP on Wednesday hit a hat-trick by annexing 141 out of 270 seats in the April 23 polls to the three civic bodies.
The city Congress unit top brass stepped down as the BJP triumph apparently also dealt a blow to the prospects of Opposition unity for the upcoming Presidential polls. The AAP blamed EVMs for the poor show of the party.
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Delhi P C Chacko resigned from their posts, owning moral responsibility for the dismal performance of the party. According to the results, the Bharatiya Janata Party secured 53 seats each in the North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations while it bagged 35 seats in the East Delhi Municipal Corporation.
AAP was at the second spot while Congress relegated to the third. The results were seen as a setback for the Aam Aadmi Party as they came close on the heels of the party’s defeat in the Rajouri Garden Assembly bypoll in Delhi and losses in Punjab and Goa.
The Congress once again failed to woo voters after it failed to open an account in the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls. Polling in Pipal Thala and Maujpur wards was put off following the death of two candidates.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people for reposing faith in the BJP and giving the party a convincing victory.
He also complimented the BJP workers for the hard work which led to the success of the party.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated BJP workers for the resounding victory of the party and said the election results are a “reaffirmation” of people’s faith in Mr Modi’s leadership and BJP chief Amit Shah’s organisational skills.
In a series of tweets, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju alleged that the AAP had played a cruel joke with the people of Delhi.
“Delhi people are fed up of dramas and lies of Aam Aadmi Party, so naturally very angry but I don’t understand why AAP is angry with BJP and specially Electronic Voting Machines,” Rijiju tweeted. The BJP said the results were proof of the absolute trust of the people in the work done by the Modi Government.
“Through the UP Assembly and Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, people have given a clear message that politics of negativity and excuses will not do, but it is the constructive approach taking all together that will take the country forward,” said Mr Amit Shah, who is at present in Bengal.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who also campaigned extensively during the elections, said the results showed a complete loss of people’s confidence in the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP Government. Another leader and Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said the results were evidence of the Kejriwal Government’s failure to deliver to the people.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the win reflected the “mood of the nation” and was an endorsement of the Prime Minister’s policies.
Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said, ”Without bias, AAP should financially help the BJP ruled MCDs by timely releasing the funds and help BJP in executing its responsibilities towards Delhiites.” ”The MCD polls are self-analysis exercise for the AAP government because the party which had garnered 67 seats in 2015 assembly elections could not even get 67 seats out of 270 in the MCD polls. The reason being that it spreads ‘negativity’ about other parties while it sits pretty on developmental projects and adopts lackadaisical approach in addressing grievances,” the BJP leader added.
Congratulating the BJP, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal said for the betterment of people of the city his Government will work together with the MCDs.
The AAP, however, alleged that without Electronic Voting Machines being ‘tampered’, it would not have been possible and said it was not ‘Modi wave’ but ‘wave of EVMs’. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “AAP will introspect. Without rigging EVMs it would not have been possible for BJP to win with such a margin.”
AAP Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba tweeted that she would tender her resignation from the Assembly and other posts of the party for defeat of three candidates in her constituency. (UNI)
