With the mayoral elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) scheduled for April 25, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to capitalise on its recent triumph in the assembly elections to seize control of the civic body from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Presently, AAP has also decided to withdraw from the race, citing lack of support on ground through a show of numbers. The announcement of their withdrawal was made by Delhi Party President, Saurabh Bharadwaj, on April 21. The state party chief also declared their withdrawal from the standing committee elections as well.
The AAP secured victory in the 2022 MCD elections, ending a 15-year reign by the BJP. However, the AAP has struggled to fulfil its electoral pledges, grappling with persistent bureaucratic obstacles and ongoing conflicts with the BJP. Its significant setback in the 2025 assembly elections saw its representation plummet to 22 seats from a peak of 62 in 2020.
How the mayor is elected
The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act mandates that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) hold elections every five years to determine which political party will control the corporation. The Delhi mayor is elected by the members of the MCD, known as councillors, who are directly elected by Delhi’s residents. These councillors then select the mayor from among themselves, typically through a voting process.
As outlined in Section 35 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the corporation must elect a mayor at the first meeting of each financial year. The mayor serves a one-year term, with specific requirements for the selection process: during the first year of a party’s tenure, a woman must be chosen as mayor, and in the third year, a member of a Scheduled Caste must be elected from among the councillors.
An election for mayor occurs only if opposition parties, such as the BJP or Congress, challenge the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate by nominating their own. If only one candidate, typically from the ruling party (currently AAP), is nominated, they are appointed mayor without an election. In case of an election, the candidate with the most votes wins, and in the event of a tie, a special commissioner overseeing the election breaks the tie through a draw of lots, granting the drawn candidate an additional vote.
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The last unified MCD mayor was elected in 2011, when the BJP’s Rajni Abbi held the position. Since then, the MCD has been split into three separate corporations, each with its own mayor. As Delhi prepares to elect a new mayor, it’s worth examining the duties and powers of this key figure, often referred to as Delhi’s First Citizen.
What sets Delhi’s first citizen apart
According to Chapter Five of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the corporation must meet at least once a month to conduct its business. The mayor has the authority to call special meetings upon a written request from at least one-fourth of the councillors. For meetings to proceed, a quorum of more than one-fifth of the councillors must be present; if this quorum is not met, the mayor is responsible for suspending the meeting until it is achieved. The mayor presides over all MCD meetings, with the deputy mayor stepping in if the mayor is absent.
The mayor holds significant powers during corporation meetings. They have a casting vote in the case of a tie, can disallow questions that violate the Act’s provisions, and have the authority to address disorderly conduct. If a councillor’s behaviour is deemed “grossly disorderly,” the mayor can order them to leave the meeting and suspend them from attending future meetings for up to 15 days, though this suspension can be lifted at the mayor’s discretion.
In cases of serious disorder, the mayor can adjourn meetings to a later time. Additionally, any questions directed to the special commissioner must be answered unless the mayor grants an exemption.
The mayor also oversees compliance with certain administrative requirements. All councillors must submit a declaration of their own and their family’s assets within 30 days of taking office. Failure to comply may result in disqualification from their position as a councillor. These powers and duties collectively position the mayor as a central figure in the governance and functioning of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Current composition of the MCD
In the 2022 MCD elections, the AAP achieved a majority, securing 134 seats in the 250-member House. The BJP won 104 seats, while the Congress claimed nine, and three seats went to independent candidates. However, the MCD’s tenure has been marked by instability, with both the AAP and BJP actively enticing councillors from opposing parties to defect. As the anti-defection law does not apply to MCD councillors, these frequent defections have significantly reshaped the House’s composition.
Before the assembly elections last month, the BJP had increased its tally to 120 councillors, while the AAP’s numbers had fallen to 121. Following the assembly polls, the AAP’s representation dropped to 118 and the BJP’s to 112, as three AAP councillors and eight BJP councillors were elected as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Subsequently, the defection of four additional AAP councillors to the BJP further altered the balance, leaving the AAP with 114 councillors and the BJP with 116.
Despite this narrow margin, the BJP is poised to secure a clear majority in the upcoming mayoral elections. The electorate for the mayoral polls includes the 250 elected councillors, 14 nominated MLAs (allocated in proportion to party representation in the Delhi Assembly), seven Lok Sabha MPs (all from the BJP), and three Rajya Sabha MPs (all from the AAP). The BJP’s strengthened position in the Delhi Assembly means it will now have 12 of the 14 nominated MLAs, a significant increase from the single nominated MLA it previously held.
According to experts, it is through the decreased strength of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party that the saffron party will be able to clinch victory for the mayoral berth.
“Comparatively, both the parties have similar numbers when it comes to the number of councillors, with the difference being marginal,” said Rameshwar Dayal, senior journalist and political analyst.
He added that there may be more shifts in alliances due to the absence of anti-defection laws, leading to “a significant number of AAP councillors who decide to vote for the BJP mayoral candidate.”
“Even if we discount that,” Dayal continued, “the saffron party has their 12 nominated MLAs, as well as the seven Lok Sabha MPs. There is no complexity as such.”
Performance of the AAP-led MCD
The AAP’s 2022 victory was built on ten key electoral promises, including the elimination of Delhi’s three major landfills, the regularisation of contractual workers, and the resolution of parking issues. However, these commitments remain largely unfulfilled, as the AAP has faced continuous challenges in its rivalry with the BJP.
A significant point of contention was the appointment of ten aldermen by Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena, all of whom were affiliated with the BJP. The AAP-led Delhi government opposed this move and took the matter to the Supreme Court, arguing that the LG should appoint aldermen based on recommendations from the Delhi government.
This legal dispute delayed the elections for ward committees and the critical 18-member Standing Committee, which is responsible for approving financial proposals exceeding Rs 5 crore.
The Standing Committee comprises 18 members, with 12 elected from MCD zones and six from the House. The court case postponed the election of the six House-elected committee members until after the 2023 mayoral polls, resulting in both parties securing three seats each.
The ward committee elections, which address zonal or ward-specific issues, were also delayed because the LG-appointed aldermen are part of the electorate. After the Supreme Court upheld the LG’s appointments, the ward committee elections were held in September 2024, with the BJP securing key positions in seven of the 12 zones. This strengthened the BJP’s presence in the Standing Committee, giving it nine seats compared to the AAP’s eight.
Although the ten LG-appointed aldermen bolstered the BJP’s success in the ward elections, they are not permitted to vote in elections for the Standing Committee members from the House. This restriction, combined with a nearly year-long dispute over the appointment of the final Standing Committee member, has left the committee’s formation—and the MCD’s broader operations—in a state of uncertainty.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections further complicated matters, as BJP’s Kamaljeet Sehrawat vacated her Standing Committee seat to represent West Delhi, necessitating a bypoll. The subsequent election, held on September 27, 2024 under the LG’s directive, was boycotted by AAP councillors, allowing the BJP to win unopposed. This sparked a series of legal challenges from both parties.
Impact on MCD functioning
The absence of a fully operational Standing Committee has severely hampered the MCD’s ability to secure approvals for essential administrative tasks, such as renewing contracts for garbage collection, which often exceed Rs 5 crore. Similarly, the MCD has been unable to recruit necessary horticulture staff or procure equipment despite a long-standing need.
The AAP’s flagship promise to eliminate Delhi’s landfills has faced repeated delays due to the lack of approvals, resulting in multiple postponed deadlines. This ongoing political deadlock has significantly impaired the MCD’s ability to function effectively, creating a lot of governance challenges for Delhi’s residents.
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Role and responsibilities of the MCD
The MCD is responsible for delivering civic services across the national capital. It is led by the Mayor of Delhi, who oversees the 250 elected councillors. The corporation encompasses 35 departments, including sanitation, horticulture, town planning, licensing, engineering, and medical care.
MCD-run public hospitals play a critical role in managing public health crises, such as controlling vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, and chikungunya through measures like medicinal spraying. The education department oversees MCD-run schools, while the veterinary department manages dog sterilisation, stray cattle control, meat shop licensing, and efforts to address the monkey menace.
MCD councillors serve as ward-level representatives, engaging directly with residents to identify their concerns and ensure these are addressed by the civic body. During ward committee meetings—attended by heads of all zonal departments—councillors raise issues and hold officials accountable for deficiencies in areas such as sanitation, waste management, park maintenance, drain desilting, road repairs, and the functionality of street lighting.
Each MCD councillor is allocated an area development fund, similar to those provided to MPs and MLAs. The amount is not fixed and is determined annually based on the MCD’s financial position. Councillors are tasked with using these funds to undertake various developmental projects within their wards.
