Delhi will witness its Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections on June 2, to fill two seats in its 18-member financial and policy-making Standing Committee. These seats became vacant following the resignation of two councillors who were elected as MLAs this February. On the same day, elections for the post of Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of all 12 zonal ward committees will also take place.
The two councillors elected as MLAs represented Wards 164 and 74 of the MCD. These councillors had served as members of the MCD Standing Committee for the South Zone Ward Committee and the City-SP Zone Wards Committee.
The elections to fill the remaining two seats on the Standing Committee were initially scheduled for May 21 but were postponed due to the military conflict between India and Pakistan, following the Pahalgam terror attack in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The new date—June 2—falls on a Monday, and elections will be held through a secret ballot.
Elections Before This One
During the previous ward committee polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured five of the 12 zonal committee seats, while the remaining went to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, the June 2 polls come in the wake of 15 councillors quitting AAP and forming an independent political outfit called the Indraprastha Vikas Party (Indraprastha being the historical name of Delhi).
Following the formation of this new front, AAP’s numbers in the MCD have dropped to 98, while the BJP now holds 117 councillors. The Congress party currently holds eight councillors.
The Standing Committee plays a vital role in the civic body, as no proposal exceeding ₹5 crore can be passed without its approval.
The recent defections—including that of former Leader of the House in the MCD, Mukesh Goel—may further complicate AAP’s position in the upcoming civic leadership contest. These developments come just weeks after the BJP regained control of the MCD by winning the mayoral elections. The currently ruling BJP government in Delhi has reversed its fortunes after spending two years in the opposition.
