With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) boycotting the election and the Congress holding minimal ground, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comfortably reclaimed the reins of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on April 25. Senior BJP leader Raja Iqbal Singh emerged victorious in the mayoral contest, receiving 133 votes, while Congress candidate Mandeep Singh managed just eight. The win marks BJP’s return to power in Delhi’s civic body after a gap of two years.
Friday’s win also elevated BJP’s Jai Bhagwan Yadav to the post of Deputy Mayor, following the withdrawal of Congress nominee Ariba Khan. The current strength of the MCD stands at 238, with 12 seats lying vacant due to some councillors becoming MLAs or an MP. The electoral college for the mayoral poll included 238 councillors, 10 Members of Parliament, and 14 MLAs of which 11 were from the BJP and 3 from AAP, as nominated by Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta.
Singh, who previously held the position of North Delhi Mayor, brings extensive experience in civic governance. He has also served as the Chairman of the Civil Line Zone Ward Committee and represented Mukherjee Nagar’s Ward 13 as a councillor. Currently the Leader of Opposition in the MCD, Singh is regarded as a quiet strategist who has risen steadily within the BJP ranks.
Raja Iqbal Singh’s Political History
The newly elected mayor comes from a family with a political background rooted in the Shiromani Akali Dal. Singh’s brother remains active in Akali politics, while his father-in-law previously served as a councillor from GTB Nagar. Until 2020, Singh represented the Akali Dal in the Civil Line Zone. However, when the party exited the NDA alliance, Singh chose not to step down. A year later, in 2021, the BJP appointed him North Delhi Mayor.
Singh’s previous tenure as mayor also saw him oversee a controversial anti-encroachment drive in Jahangirpuri, shortly after communal tensions erupted there. At the time, he addressed the media briefly, asserting that the demolished structures were part of an illegal setup.
Following his election, Singh outlined his priorities: improving sanitation across the city, tackling garbage dumping sites, resolving waterlogging issues, and ensuring the smooth delivery of basic public services. He affirmed that the BJP would resume projects that had stalled over the past two years and eliminate corruption within the civic system.
Singh Showed Optimism Before the Election
Ahead of the election, Singh had confidently told news agency PTI that Delhiites had once again entrusted the BJP with fixing the capital’s problems. “The AAP has accepted defeat. We will ensure the city sees the progress that was delayed,” he said.
The AAP, led by former mayor Shelly Oberoi and Leader of the House Mukesh Goyal, held a press conference on the eve of the election to announce their complete boycott of the proceedings. Oberoi alleged that the BJP was exploiting its power at the Centre and within the Assembly to skew the civic election, referring to it as a “mockery of democracy” backed by “triple engine power.”
The BJP’s success in the MCD elections follows a sweeping win in the Delhi Assembly polls, where it secured 48 out of 70 seats. This sharply reduced AAP’s strength from 62 to just 22. BJP’s growing dominance in Delhi’s political landscape has now led to discussions around the formation of a “triple-engine government” referring to its control over the Centre, Delhi Assembly nominations, and now, the MCD.
BJP Gains Majority in MCD
With BJP holding 117 councillors up from 104 in 2022 and AAP down to 113 from its previous 134, the saffron party has reestablished a firm grip over Delhi’s civic body. One vote during Friday’s election was declared invalid, but it did not affect the outcome.
Raja Iqbal Singh’s leadership is expected to be closely watched as the capital’s newly unified MCD formed in 2022 by merging the East, North, and South corporations prepares for a new phase of governance.
