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| | BJP on Saturday was set to take over the reins of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi as it is cruising ahead of the rival Congress in as many as 140 seats in the 272-member council. Election Commission figures showed that the saffron party has won six seats while the ruling Congress emerged victorious in one ward in the elections for which voting took place on Thursday. Those who won include former Deputy Mayor Arti Mehra (Hauz Khaz) of the BJP. Barring Mayor Farhad Suri (Nizamuddin) almost all the top Congress leaders were trailing. The Congress was leading in about 30 seats while smaller parties like the BSP and the NCP and independents were ahead in some 30 seats. The trends were available for around 200 seats. Last time, the Congress had won 108 seats in the 134-member House. The number of seats in the civic body were doubled as a result of the recently-held delimitation exercise. The elections, considered as a curtain raiser to next year's assembly polls, were held under the shadow of the sealing drive, which saw traders up in arms against the government. While the Congress banked heavily on the new Master Plan, which was hurriedly finalised in the run up to the elections to limit the political damage done by the sealing drive, the BJP capitalised on the public anger. The Congress had fielded candidates in all the 272 wards, while opposition BJP contested in 261 seats and its ally Shiromani Akali Dal in ten. |
