As the BJP is now eyeing on capturing the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) from the AAP in the upcoming Mayoral elections in April this year, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has nominated 14 Members of the Legislative Assembly to assist the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the financial year 2025-26.

Of the 14 MLAs, 11 are from the BJP and three from AAP. The nominated MLAs vote in the elections for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, due in April. These nominations have been made in accordance with Section 3(3)(b)(ii) of the Municipal Corporation Act, 1957.

The MLAs who have been nominated by the speaker from the BJP include, Anil Kumar Sharma, RK Puram, Chandan Kumar Choudhary, Sangam Vihar, Jitender Mahajan, Rohtas Nagar, Karnail Singh Basti, Manoj Kumar Shokeen, Nangloi Jat, Neelam Pahalwan, Najafgarh, Parduymn Singh Rajput, Dwarka, Raj Kumar Bhatia, Adarsh Nagar, Ravi Kant, Trilokpuri, Sanjay Goyal, Shahdara, and Tarvinder Singh Marwah from Jangpura.

The AAP MLAs include Pravesh Ratn from Patel Nagar, Surendra Kumar from Gokalpur and Ram Singh Netaji from Badarpur. The AAP had won the last Mayoral election held in November 2024 by three votes.

Meanwhile, the BJP, which won a resounding victory in the assembly polls last month, is eyeing a “triple-engine government” in Delhi by securing the post of Mayor. A senior Delhi BJP functionary said, “With the nomination of 11 party MLAs to the MCD, the chances of winning the post of Mayor are now all the more certain. Especially as we are already receiving feelers from many AAP councillors who wants to join the BJP.” A triple-engine government — BJP rule at the Centre, Delhi and MCD — will ensure faster work to serve the people, he added. In the 2022 MCD polls, AAP had won 134 wards, the BJP 104, the Congress nine and Independents three. The BJP has advantage this time as they have 131 votes in their favour while the majority mark is 132 as per the current equations. The ruling AAP has only 122 votes and the party can reach 131 only if Congress extends support.

As far as the latest tally is concerned, there are 250 wards in the MCD out of which councillors from 238 will participate in the elections while 12 seats are vacant as councillors from these seats has won during previous Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections. Now 14 MLAs appointed by the Speaker members will be part of the voting process. As per the DMC Act, 7 Lok Sabha and 3 Rajya Sabha MPs will also vote for mayor and deputy mayor.

With the appointments made by the Speaker, the BJP will have votes of 113 councillors, votes of 11 BJP MLAs, 7 Lok Sabha MPs from the party and possibility of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal’s vote in its favour as Anti-Defection Law is not in place in the Corporation. The majority mark is 132 and the BJP will comfortably achieve the figure without cross voting in their favour.

For the AAP, it has 116 councillors’ vote, three nominated MLAs’ vote, vote of two Rajya Sabha MPs from its party and support of lone independent councillor. The total number in its favour is 122 and it is far behind the majority. The Congress party has eight councillors but they are not going to support the AAP this time as both the parties had parted their ways before the recently held state elections.

The BJP leaders asserted that the party’s vote tally, including Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha MPs; chances of AAP councillors switching sides, and 11 party MLAs as nominated members make it clear that BJP will win the Mayor post. The BJP became the single largest party in the MCD on February 15, after three AAP councillors switched over to it. Anti-defection law is not applicable on deserters in civic bodies.

Speaking on the nominations, Gupta stated that the appointed MLAs would assist the MCD in budget formulation, civic administration, and urban governance. Speaker noted that their role will be pivotal in addressing sanitation, infrastructure development, and other municipal challenges to improve the quality of life for Delhi residents. These MLAs will act as a bridge between the Delhi Legislative Assembly and the MCD, ensuring seamless coordination, policy implementation, and the effective execution of civic projects, said Gupta.

He further said that their expertise will contribute to enhancing municipal services, strengthening urban development, and addressing pressing issues such as waste management, pollution control and public sanitation. The speaker said that this initiative reaffirms Assembly’s commitment to enhancing municipal governance, ensuring accountability, and fostering sustainable urban growth for Delhi’s residents.

The mayoral elections are scheduled to take place in April, unless they are delayed due to the 12 vacant seats, which were left unoccupied after their representatives were elected as MLAs in the recently concluded Assembly elections. There are total 250 wards in the MCD out of which 12 are vacant. This includes 11 members (seven BJP and four AAP) who were elected as MLAs in the February 2025 Assembly elections and one member who became an MP in June 2024. Since election for these vacant seats will he held only after mayoral polls, the current strength of the councillors will be 238.