The BJP has won 7 of the 12 municipal wards for which bypolls were held, taking its tally to 122 councillors in the 250-member MCD House. The Indian Express speaks to Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva on how the party is viewing the results, the AAP’s performance and what’s next for the BJP.
How is the party looking at the election result?
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?
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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…
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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?
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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.
Saman Husain is a Correspondent at The Indian Express. Based in New Delhi, she is an emerging voice in political journalism, reporting on civic governance, elections, migration, and the social consequences of policy, with a focus on ground-reporting across Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh.
Professional Profile
Education:
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Honours) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai.
Core Beats:
Her reporting focuses on the national capital’s governance and politics. She specializes in Delhi’s civic administration and the city units of the BJP, AAP and Congress. In western Uttar Pradesh, she mostly reports on crime.
Specialization:
She has a keen interest in electoral processes and politics — her recent contributions include work on electoral roll revisions.
Recent Notable Articles (since July 2025)
Her recent work reflects a strong show-not-tell approach to storytelling, combining narrative reporting with political and historical context:
1. Politics:
“On the banks of the Yamuna, a political tussle for Purvanchali support” (October 6): A report on how migration histories shaped electoral strategies in Delhi before the Bihar elections.
“Explained: How Delhi’s natural drainage vanished gradually over the centuries” (September 29): An explanatory piece tracing the historical reasons that eventually led to the erosion of Delhi’s rivers and its impact on perrenial flooding.
2. Longforms
“Four weddings, three funerals: How a Uttar Pradesh man swindled insurance companies” (October 7): A long-read reconstructing a chilling fraud by a man who killed three of his family members, including both his parents for insurance proceeds. His fourth wife discovered his fraud…
“How Ghaziabad conman operated fake embassy of a country that doesn’t exist — for 9 years” (July 27) : A story on bizarre fraud operation and the institutional blind spots that enabled it.
3. Crime and Justice:
“He was 8 when his father was killed. Fifteen years later, in UP’s Shamli, he took revenge” (October 18): A deeply reported crime story tracing cycles of violence, memory and justice in rural Uttar Pradesh.
“Who killed 19 girls in Nithari? With the SC rejecting appeals, there are no answers and no closure” (July 31): A report capturing the long legal and emotional aftermath of one of India’s most chilling unsolved criminal cases.
4. Policy Impact
“At Manthan, over US tariffs, Delhi-NCR’s apparel industry brainstorms solutions” (September 8) and “Trump’s 50% tariff begins to bite: Agra’s leather belt feels the impact” (August 13) : Reports documenting how global trade decisions ripple through local industries, workers and exporters.
Signature Style
Saman is recognized for her grassroots storytelling. Her articles often focus on the "people behind the policy". She is particularly skilled at taking mundane administrative processes and turning them into compelling human narratives.
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