MCD Elections Results
| Party Name | 2017 – Seats Won | 2012 – Seats Won |
| BJP | 184 | 138 |
| AAP | 46 | Did not contest |
| Congress | 30 | 77 |
| Others | 10 | 57 |
Beating about 10 years of anti-incumbency, the Bharatiya Janata Party has made a clean sweep of the MCD elections in Delhi. Three of the five civic bodies in the state – East Delhi Municipal Corporation, North Delhi Municipal Corporation, and South Delhi Municipal Corporation – went to polls on 23 April, 2017.
The phenomenal victory of BJP may be credited both to the Modi wave that the party boasts of and to the failure of rivals such as AAP and Congress to make their mark. BJP fielded 267 new candidates in 270 wards (elections cancelled in 2 wards) – a sign that it recognizes the failure of its incumbent candidates to perform to their optimum in the MCDs. This is also seen as a promise for change and improvement by the party.
AAP is the new entrant in the MCD polls. The party was launched in November 2012 and did not participate in the previous MCD elections that were held in February 2012. In 2015, when the BJP and Modi wave was sweeping through the nation, Delhi overwhelmingly chose AAP in its legislative assembly polls. Kejriwal led AAP won 67 of the 70 legislative assembly seats from Delhi while BJP won only 3 and Congress failed to make its mark.
Does this mean that AAP failed to live up to its promises and retain the trust reposed on it by the people of Delhi? The answer to this question is up for debate, though. BJP party president Amit Shah said that the people of Delhi opted to elect the BJP in the MCD polls, having been disappointed by the excuses that AAP makes for its administrative failures and “negative politics”. Collectively all BJP leaders and candidates believe that PM Modi is responsible for this historic victory.
Let’s take a look at the gain/loss of the different parties viz-a-viz 2012 –
| North Delhi | |||
| Party | 2017 MCD | 2012 MCD | Gain/Loss |
| BJP | 66 | 59 | +7 |
| AAP | 20 | – | +20 |
| Congress | 15 | 29 | -14 |
| Others | 2 | 16 | -14 |
| East Delhi | |||
| Party | 2017 MCD | 2012 MCD | Gain/Loss |
| BJP | 48 | 35 | +13 |
| AAP | 10 | – | +10 |
| Congress | 3 | 19 | -16 |
| Others | 2 | 10 | -8 |
| South Delhi | |||
| Party | 2017 MCD | 2012 MCD | Gain/Loss |
| BJP | 70 | 44 | +26 |
| AAP | 16 | – | +16 |
| Congress | 12 | 29 | -17 |
| Others | 6 | 31 | -25 |
In all BJP has won 68 percent of the seats polled in the 2017 MCD elections as compared to 51 percent in the 2012 MCD polls.
AAP Alleges EVM Wave
Much on expected lines, the Aam Aadmi Party has blamed the electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the party’s dismal performance at the MCD elections. Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia said, “EVM manipulation is the bitter truth behind the crushing blow to the AAP in the municipal polls”. The results of the city’s municipal elections merely reflect an EVM wave rather than a Modi wave, said the party’s leader Gopal Rai.
While it looks like the party is doggedly refusing to look at the reasons why the mandate of Delhi may not have gone in its favour, party MLA Alka Lamba took responsibility for the dismal performance of candidates in the MCD and offered to tender her resignation from the MLA’s office and from all party positions.
What remains to be seen now is if AAP can survive the MCD debacle. It looks like the defeat has exposed deep cracks in the party’s cadre. News reports said that AAP MP from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann, blamed the leadership for the failure. “There is no use finding fault with the EVMs now when the party leadership committed a historic blunder with regard to the overall strategy in the elections”, he reportedly said. Senior leader Kumar Vishwas and Colonel Devinder Sehrawat are also among those who are believed to have come out in open criticism of Arvind Kejriwal. Given the fractured ranks along with the heavy burden of high expectations, it is little wonder that AAP allowed BJP to sweep the MCD elections.
Congress Faces Existential Question
Despite the victory in the legislative assembly elections of Punjab, earlier this year, it increasingly looks like the Indian National congress (INC) has outlived its relevance. The party has managed to secure merely 30 of the 270 seats that were up for polls. Ajay Maken, the Delhi Congress chief has taken responsibility for the humiliating defeat. He has resigned from the post and has vowed to not reclaim any part post for a year. “I will work as a party worker”, he said. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister of Delhi and senior Congress leader Sheila Dikshit told media agencies that the party did not campaign aggressively and did not deliver its best in the MCD elections. She also alleged that she was not asked to participate in the campaigning process. While most other party leaders seem to remain silent over the defeat, Dikshit said that it is high time that the party’s high command start to introspect.
