Delhi civic body elections will be held on April 22 and the results will be declared on April 25, the state election commission said on Tuesday. Three civic bodies – North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and East Delhi Municipal Corporation – with 272 seats will go to the polls.
Around 1,33,13,295 voters will exercise their franchise in the elections. At present, the Bharatiya Janata Party has 152 seats, the Congress 91, AAP 8, BSP 10 and others have nine seats, while one seat is vacant.
The Election Commission will use Electronic Voting Machines for the polls, despite Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s request to use a paper ballot system. “Rules need to be amended for the MCD elections to be held through ballot paper,” said State Election Commissioner SK Srivastava. “The Delhi government will need to take a call on it.”
Kejriwal had written to the EC urging them against using the EVMs after Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati said the machines were tampered with during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. She said this had let voters only choose the BJP, which in turn led to the party winning with a massive majority. The BJP had dismissed the allegations, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley calling Mayawati a “sore loser”.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!