Delhi, April 17: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has retained control over Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in the 2012 elections. The second biggest national party, BJP has won all the three new civic bodies carved out of the earlier existing Municipal Corporation Of Delhi (MCD). Overall, the ruling party has won 138 of the 272 wards; the Congress has won 78, a gain of 11 over the last time.
This is the first municipal election after the MCD was divided. In North Delhi, which is a BJP bastion, the party has posted a big win taking 59 of the 104 wards. The Congress managed just 29 seats, albeit a gain of 6 from 2007. In East Delhi, the Congress gained 4 wards, taking its tally to 19, a distant second to the BJP's 35 in the 64-ward corporation.
The mandate for South Delhi, which saw turnouts as low as 37% in some areas is hung. Of the 104 wards, the BJP bagged 44 and the Congress 30. Here smaller parties and independents seem to hold the key as they have managed to win in 30 wards.
In the 2007 elections to an undivided MCD, the BJP had won 144 wards against the Congress' 59 and the BSP's 12. For both the national parties these results mean more than just control of a civic body. The BJP said this was a semifinal ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, due in about 18 months. For the Congress, these elections were being seen as a big test for Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit so close to the Assembly elections.
On Sunday (April 15, 2012), polling for all the wards spread in three corporations - East, South and North - was held when over 55 per cent voters came out to vote. There are 104 wards each in the South and North corporations and 64 in the East. Of these, 138 seats are reserved for women. South has the highest number of 904 candidates followed by North (885) and East (634).
Samajwadi Party’s Ishrat Begum wins in Abul Fazal Enclave (Ward No: 206, Okhla, New Delhi)
Samajwadi Party's Ishrat Begum has defeated her nearest second BJP candidate Babli Sethi. She got 8546 votes; Congress candidate got more than 5000 votes with the BJP at the third position. Till early morning the BJP candidate was in the lead. But results started going in favour of Ameeruddin's wife Ishrat Begum after counting of Shaheen Bagh started.
The sitting Congress councilor Engineer Jamaluddin’s wife has been defeated. In 2007 election, Jamaluddin had got 3513 votes. And it appears that this time he has failed to get support from the residents. Begum had an upper hand from day one as her husband Ameeruddin, who earlier had fought election on CPI ticket, did some work in the area. For the last one year he concentrated in Shaheen Bagh. Also, he got the road of G Block of Abul Fazal Enclave repaired.
Shoeb Danish wins second term in Zakir Nagar (Ward No: 205, New Delhi)
In Zakir Nagar (Ward Number: 205), sitting councilor Shoeb Danish, a Jamia Miilia Islamia (JMI) alumnus, has anyhow managed to win his seat for the second time. Earlier he was trailing. But in the last phase he took the lead. The victory will certainly increase Danish stock in the Congress.
On the other hand the win has come as a surprise to local MLA Asif Md Khan camp who had made an all-out effort to defeat the sitting Congress councilor. Shoeb Danish was on a sticky wicket from day one as many residents were not satisfied with his work. But it appears residents decided to vote him at the last moment. Besides, Zi-Ur-Rehman too made things difficult for Danish. The defeat of Zia-Ur-Rahman would come as a big blow to local leader Amanatullah Khan, who on the voting day on April 15 was confident of his candidate win.
