The Hindu : Front Page : BJP captures Delhi Corporation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 08, 2007
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BJP captures Delhi Corporation

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Congress tally just 67 in a House of 272; good show by BSP

Results, a rejection of new Master Plan: BJP Sealing drive proved adverse: Congress

NEW DELHI : The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday wrested the Municipal Corporation of Delhi from the Congress, winning 164 of the 272 wards. The Congress, which won three-fourths of the seats in the last polls, ended up with a tally of just 67.

Most importantly, the Bahujan Samaj Party, which hitherto did not have a single MLA in Delhi, put up a good show, winning in 17 wards.

Anti-incumbency

The anti-incumbency factor worked strongly against the Congress and despite its denying ticket to 60 sitting members, the party could not check the slide.

A jubilant Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan described the win as a referendum on the performance of the Sheila Dikshit Government and sought the resignation of the Chief Minister. He said the results were a rejection of the new Master Plan for Delhi-2021, which had been drafted "in haste" and which did not provide any real solution to the problems faced by the people.

The Bharatiya Jan Shakti party of the former Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana did not hurt the BJP's chances. It won in only two of the 149 wards it contested.

Winners and losers

Prominent winners include Mayor Farhad Suri, the former Mayors Satbir Singh and Jaishree Panwar and Standing Committee Chairman J. K. Sharma of the Congress; the former Deputy Mayor Arti Mehra, Leader of the Opposition Subhash Arya and Standing Committee member Vijender Gupta of the BJP. Mr. Gupta posted the biggest margin of over 9,000 votes.

Several prominent candidates lost badly. Among them is the former Deputy Mayor Ramesh Dutta, who filed a case on the issue of delimitation, leading to a revision in the manner of seats reservation. Among the Congress councillors who lost are Standing Committee Deputy Chairman Tarsem Bansal and Standing Committee members Brij Mohan Sharma and Sanjay Puri.

Soon after the results were announced, many party MLAs and other leaders demanded that Ram Babu Sharma resign as Pradesh Congress Committee president. Leader of the House Jitender Kochar, who was denied ticket, said: ``Mr. Sharma should step down on moral grounds.''

Mr. Sharma said the people voted against the party as they were harassed by the sealing and demolition operation, in which the Congress-ruled MCD was the implementing agency.

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