The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced Councillor Pravesh Wahi as its candidate for the upcoming mayoral election of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The party has also nominated Monika Pant for the post of deputy mayor, with both candidates set to file their nominations on the final day of the process.
In addition, BJP leaders Jai Bhagwan Yadav and Manish Chaddha will contest for positions on the powerful Standing Committee, a key decision-making body within the civic agency that oversees financial approvals and major policy matters.
The elections for mayor, deputy mayor, and three Standing Committee members are scheduled for April 29. The nomination process will conclude at 5 pm on Thursday.
The BJP currently holds 123 seats in the 250-member municipal council, placing it as the single largest party. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has 100 councillors, followed by the Indraprastha Vikas Party with 15, the Indian National Congress with nine, along with two independents and one vacant seat.
The electoral college for the mayoral election comprises a total of 273 votes. This includes 249 councillors, 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly, seven Lok Sabha MPs, and three Rajya Sabha members. A candidate needs at least 137 votes to secure victory.
In a significant development, the AAP has announced that it will not contest the mayoral election. Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj confirmed the decision a day before the nomination deadline.
However, the party is still participating in the Standing Committee race. AAP councillor Jalaj Kumar Chaudhary from Shalimar Bagh has filed his nomination for one of the committee positions.
The Standing Committee remains one of the most influential arms of the MCD, making the contest for its seats crucial despite the AAP’s absence from the mayoral race.
With the BJP entering the fray with a full slate of candidates and the AAP stepping back from the mayoral contest, the upcoming civic polls are expected to reshape the balance of power within Delhi’s municipal governance structure.
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