Delhi MCD Bypoll Results: BJP Gains Momentum, AAP Slips

Following the MCD by-elections Delhi’s political climate has changed. This is primarily due to changing perceptions and opinions of the electorate that were unanticipated. In the last two elections, the BJP lost two seats it held previously, yet gained more than 7% of the overall vote totals cast, winning 7 of the 12 available seats from this election. The AAP has also suffered a significant decline in its electoral performance and the Congress has moved forward very slowly but steadily.

BJP Strengthens Position After Seat Losses

The results of the bypolls to date have produced mixed results for the BJP. Even though the party has dropped from 9 to 7 seats, the total percentage of votes cast for the party increased by almost 6%, increasing the vote from 42% in the 2022 Civic Election to 48% in this election. The BJP now holds 123 of the 250 seats of the MCD House and is now only three seats away from having a majority at 126 votes needed to constitute a majority of the full governing body.

The BJP’s biggest victories of this election cycle have come from the Shalimar Bagh-B seat. Anita Jain received 10,101 votes – the largest winning margin this year. Additionally, through victory of Anjum Mandal, BJP increased its strength in urban areas due to its win over Eeesha Gupta of AAP, through a margin of over 4,000 votes in the Greater Kailash seat.

AAP Faces Setbacks as Support Weakens

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) continues to face challenges following a poor showing in terms of the number of votes secured in the most recent election compared to the expectations set beforehand. AAP secured three seats in this recent election, however, they also faced a dramatic drop in votes cast as a percentage of total votes cast for AAP in this election (42% of the total votes cast in 2022 vs. 34% of total votes in this recent election). This election was AAP’s greatest disappointment in Chandni Mahal in terms of victory; AAP previously recorded an historical landslide victory in this constituency, however, in this election Mohammed Imran from the Forward Bloc defeated AAP’s candidate with a margin of over 4,600 votes.

Moreover, AAP lost the Chandni Chowk constituency to BJP candidate Suman Kumar Gupta through a margin of more than 1,000 votes over AAP’s candidate Harsh Sharma. Lastly, AAP retained their Naraina seat through a narrow victory over Rajan Arora (independent candidate) with a margin of only 148 votes in one of this election’s most competitive races.

On the other hand, the Congress party was able to make a slight rebound. The Congress party won 1 seat and had an increase in their vote percentage, going from 11.6% in the previous election to 13.4%.

The Forward Bloc also entered MCD for the first time ever by winning the Chandni Mahal constituency seat.

This victory marks the first time that the party has entered into Delhi’s municipal system and demonstrates the significant ways in which party loyalty is changing in traditional AAP strongholds.

Smooth Voting and High Voter Turnout

There were 269,992 total votes cast in 12 wards of which there were 2,604 NOTA votes. There were 580 polling places and over 2,300 election workers, along with a reserve group of 464 additional workers, who assisted with the counting process. The State Election Commission reported that there were positive improvements and arrangements made to facilitate the counting process and promote greater participation by voters that led to the successful counting of the votes at 10 different counting centres.

After Effects of the 2025 Mayoral Election

The by-poll results have a direct effect on the outcome of the 2025 mayoral elections in April. In addition to the former AAP members leaving to join the Indraprastha Vikas Party, the BJP now holds a stronger number of seats than previously. As a result, Delhi’s political landscape is going to be shifting more dramatically because of the BJP’s growing strength; this change will have a profound effect on forming the new mayoral leadership for 2025.

These by-poll results are shaking up the political landscape of Delhi as trending news today and establishing the atmosphere for the next elections.