Voting for the Delhi Municipal Corporation bypolls began in 12 wards on Sunday morning — with 51 candidates in the fray. Elections became necessary for 11 seats after their councillors were elected to the Delhi Assembly. The Dwarka B seat has remained vacant since former councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat was elected to Parliament from West Delhi in 2024. The polls are expected to be a litmus test for the BJP following its resouding victory in the Assembly elections earlier this year.
“Voting will begin at 7:30 am. We are trying to provide maximum facilities to voters. Efforts are being made to make their voting experience as comfortable as possible. Proper arrangements have been made for people with disabilities. We have also provided home-voting facilities for voters aged 80 and above and PWD voters,” Joint Secretary Adeshwar Kant told ANI on Saturday.
Voting will be held at 580 booths across 143 polling stations in Delhi. Bypolls are being conducted at 12 wards: Greater Kailash, Shalimar Bagh B, Ashok Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Chandni Mahal, Dichaon Kalan, Naraina, Sangam Vihar A, Dakshin Puri, Mundka, Vinod Nagar and Dwarka B.
Heavy security arrangements
“The State Election Commission announced the by-polls on the 30th… We are fully prepared… Approximately 250 personnel will oversee security during this election process. Drones will also be used everywhere… We have already been provided outer force for the strong room and EVM security,” DCP Vineet Kumar told ANI.
He also said that drones will be used everywhere, and an outer force has been provided for the strong room and EVM security
BJP vs Congress vs AAP
The BJP, Congress and AAP have all announced candidates for the Delhi Municipal Corporation by-elections. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the BJP must win all 12 seats — insisting that the party was focused on solving long-pending civic issues. The AAP has also issued a similar call to action and insisted recently that “all the workers of Delhi are enthusiastic”.
Eight of the BJP’s candidates are women. The BJP’s Jaipal Singh Saral will contest from Mundka, Anita Jain from Shalimar Bagh B, Veena Asija from Ashok Vihar, Suman Kumar Gupta from Chandni Chowk, Sunil Sharma from Chandni Mahal, Manisha Rajpal Sehrawat from Dwarka B, and Rekha Rani from Dhichaon Kalan. Other BJP candidates in the list include Chandrakanta Shivani (Naraina), Rohini Raj (Dakshinpuri), Subhrajeet Gautam (Sangam Vihar A), Anjum Mandal (Greater Kailash) and Sarla Chaudhary (Vinod Nagar), according to a party statement. In the Congress’s candidate list, five are women.
Congress’ Mukesh will contest from Mundka, Sarita Kumari from Shalimar Bagh-B, Vishakha Rani from Ashok Vihar, Ajay Kumar Jain from Chandni Chowk, Kunwar Shehzad Ahmed from Chandni Mahal, Sumita Malik from Dwarka-B, Rashmi Sharma from Dichau Kalan, Manoj Tanwar from Naraina, Suresh Choudhary from Sangam Vihar-A, Vikram from Dakshin Puri, Shikha Kapur from Greater Kailash, and Vinay Shankar Dubey from Vinod Nagar.
The Aam Aadmi Party also announced its candidates for the bypolls. The AAP’s candidates are Ram Swaroop Kanojia from Dakshin Puri, Anuj Sharma from Sangam Vihar A, and Eeshna Gupta from Greater Kailash. Geeta Rawat has been named AAP candidate from Vinod Nagar, while Babita Ahlawat will contest from Shalimar Bagh B.
(With inputs from agencies)
