Vote counting for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bye-election began on Wednesday morning under strict security at 10 centres across the national capital. With the process now complete, the BJP secured seven wards, AAP claimed three, and both the Congress and the All India Forward Bloc won one ward each.
The polls for 12 MCD wards follow the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) sweeping win in the capital in February 2025. Among the 12 wards that went to vote, the BJP previously held nine seats, while the Aam Aadmi Party controlled three.
According to the State Election Commission, ten counting centers have been established in Kanjhawala, Pitampura, Bharat Nagar, Civil Lines, Rouse Avenue, Dwarka, Najafgarh, Gole Market, Pushp Vihar, and Mandawali.
Delhi MCD by-election results: BJP secures a major victory but loses hold on two seats
Suman Kumar Gupta clinched BJP's first victory in the Chandni Chowk ward, winning by a margin of 1,182 votes.
Following this victory, BJP’s Anita Jain secured the Shalimar Bagh B ward, a seat previously represented by CM Rekha Gupta.
Other BJP candidates who won are -
Manisha Devi won Dwarka B
Sarla Choudhry won Vinod Nagar.
Veena Asija from Vinod Nagar
Anjum Mandal from Greater Kailash
Rekha Rani from Dichaon Kalan
Out of the 12 wards contested in the polls, the BJP previously held nine. In this by-election, the ruling party lost two of those seats. The Aam Aadmi Party won three wards, with Ram Swaroop Kanojia taking the Dakshin Puri seat, Anil winning in Mundka, and Rajan Arora securing victory in Naraina. In the meantime, Congress claimed victory in the Sangam Vihar A ward, while the AIFB candidate won the Chandani Mahal ward.
Strict security measures at vote counting centers
According to a PTI report, around 1,800 police officers, supported by paramilitary forces, have been stationed at the counting centres. Voting for the 12 wards took place on November 30, with a turnout of 38.51 percent in the bypolls, compared to 50.47 percent recorded in the 2022 MCD elections for all 250 wards.
A total of 51 candidates competed for 12 seats, with 26 of them being women. The BJP nominated 8 women, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielded 6, and the Congress put forward 5. Among the 12 wards, Shalimar Bagh B and Dwarka B are expected to draw significant attention. The Shalimar Bagh B seat became vacant after BJP councillor Rekha Gupta assumed the role of Delhi's chief minister following the party's win in the assembly elections.
In Dwarka B, the position has been unoccupied since 2024, following the election of its former councillor, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, to Parliament representing West Delhi.