MCD: AAP Wins But It's Not A Sweep As Predicted By Exit Polls

In a tightly fought contest, AAP has emerged as the winner in the MCD polls. Although the incumbent BJP, ruling the corporation for the last 15 years, lost, it did increase its vote share from 36 per cent in 2017 to 39 per cent.

The results also reflect an increase in BJP’s vote share from the 2020 assembly elections, where it had received around 38 per cent of the votes. AAP, on the other hand, has come down to 42.3 per cent vote share from 53.8 per cent in the assembly elections 2020.

The MCD has 250 wards and the simple majority mark is 126.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reached majority mark of 126 in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections. Out of these 126, at the time of writing it had emerged victorious in 106 wards, while the BJP bagged 97 wards as counting continues.

The exit poll predictions have been proven wrong in the case of MCD. As per the pollsters, AAP was projected to make a clean sweep here. However, the final numbers indicate that it has been a no-wave election, with the BJP putting up a strong fight.

The Congress was a distant third after winning seven wards.

While AAP had made garbage management its main election issue, BJP had put forth the work done by the MCD and the Centre in Delhi. It also put a spotlight on the corruption cases under the AAP government in Delhi.

The AAP has also lost all three wards under the assembly constituency of jailed AAP minister, Satyendra Jain. Even in the Assembly constituency of Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, under the ED lens for liquor scam, the AAP has lost three out of four wards.

AAP also lost all three wards under the constituency of AAP minister, Kailash Gahlot. He has been under the scanner for financial irregularities in the purchase of DTC buses.

If the overall numbers are too go by, AAP seems to have shrunk its vote share midst the crisis of credibility. However, it has decided to keep a brave face and call the mandate historic.

With the AAP not performing up to the mark in its own bastion, its hope of projecting Arvind Kejriwal as face of the opposition in the 2024 general elections seems to have taken a hit.