AAP Nominates Mayor and Deputy Mayor Candidates For Delhi MCD Elections

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced on Thursday that Mahesh Kumar Khichi (45), councillor of Dev Nagar, and Ravinder Bhardwaj (35), councillor of Aman Vihar, will be the party’s nominees for the positions of mayor and deputy mayor, respectively, in the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections set for April 26.

Khichi represents the Dev Nagar ward in Karol Bagh, while Bhardwaj represents the Aman Vihar ward in Kirari. Bhardwaj, serving his second term as councillor, previously served as a standing committee member. It's worth noting that the mayor's post is reserved for Scheduled Caste councillors in this election cycle.

AAP’s East Patel Nagar councillor, Shelly Oberoi, held the mayoral position in the last two elections in February and April 2023. The mayor of the MCD is elected for a one-year term.

Gopal Rai, AAP Delhi convener, emphasized that Khichi and Bhardwaj will continue the initiatives started by Oberoi, stating that the people of Delhi have rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the MCD. Rai also expressed readiness to counter any strategies employed by the BJP, citing the recent mayoral polls in Chandigarh as an example of potential vote manipulation.

Durgesh Pathak, the party’s MCD in-charge, highlighted that both Khichi and Bhardwaj have been associated with AAP since its inception, expressing optimism that they will further the developmental agenda initiated by their predecessor.

The electoral college responsible for selecting the mayor comprises 250 councillors, seven Lok Sabha members from Delhi, three Rajya Sabha MPs, and 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi legislative assembly speaker. Additionally, 10 aldermen do not possess voting rights in the house proceedings.

AAP currently commands support from 134 councillors, along with one Independent councillor, three Rajya Sabha members, and 13 MLAs. On the opposition front, the BJP claims backing from 104 councillors, one Independent councillor, seven Lok Sabha members, and one MLA. Congress holds nine councillor seats, with another councillor being independent. Notably, cross-voting is permitted in these elections, and anti-defection laws do not apply.

In the February 2023 election, AAP's Shelly Oberoi secured 150 votes compared to BJP's Rekha Gupta, who received 116 votes. In April, Oberoi was elected unopposed after BJP candidate Shikha Roy withdrew her nomination at the last minute.