‘MCD elections should not be considered a litmus test… fought on basic needs’: Delhi BJP chief

We see this in a positive way because the Municipal Corporation elections are fought on local issues, and these are the smallest elections. Overall, the BJP has received 45.9% of the votes, more than 10 percentage points ahead of other parties. The mood of the people of Delhi is that the BJP should do well in the city, and they are giving us their full blessings. For this, I welcome the result.

What has been the most surprising victory for the party?

We always believed we would do well, but the Chandni Chowk victory is extremely precious to us. In a way, Chandni Chowk is like a mirror of the entire national capital which represents Delhi. After a very long time, the BJP has won this seat. Our winning candidate, Suman Gupta, has previously served as councillor from the ward and has experience working with the MCD. The residents of Chandni Chowk have once again placed their trust in him.

The result margin in Naraina was extremely low. How is the party viewing it?

We will have to look at our shortcomings. A margin of 148 votes is extremely low, and it is a seat we should have won. We are going to evaluate the gaps, but overall, we fought the election there really well.

What would you say about the AAP retaining three seats in this election?

The AAP needs to reflect on the fact that the area from which their Delhi President had been MLA for the last 10 years (Greater Kailash, represented earlier by former MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj) has not gone in their favour. I do not wish to comment further, but as I said, MCD elections are fought on local matters. Now, everyone who has won and everyone already part of the MCD must ensure they are able to work with the Delhi government to make the national capital a cleaner and better place.

The Chief Minister’s former ward, Shalimar Bagh, saw the highest victory margin.

… Over 10,000 votes. This is a huge victory. I would like to congratulate her because she worked very hard on each and every seat while campaigning for this election… It shows that she enjoys strong support among her constituents.

These bypolls were being viewed as a litmus test for the BJP government…

I feel that MCD elections should not be considered a litmus test. MCD polls are fought on basic needs like cleanliness and roads. This is why I am once again saying that the residents of Delhi have shown their trust in the BJP.

How is the party looking at the Congress’s win in this election?

In the seat that the Congress won, Sangam Vihar, it appears that the result is more in favour of the candidate than the party. He had previously contested independently and secured 7,000 votes. This time, he contested on a Congress ticket, and I would like to congratulate him.

Going forward, what is the next step for the party after this bypoll mandate?

The most important thing right now is that our numbers have risen to 122 in the MCD. Our government in Delhi has been doing very good work. Now, both governments should work together to make the Capital more beautiful and clean. We have won this election due to the hard work of our party workers. But, as you mentioned, the narrow margin with which the AAP has won in Naraina is something we will definitely assess going forward.