New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) A total of 133 nominations were received for the 12 vacant wards in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) where by-elections are scheduled to be held on November 30, an official said on Monday.

The maximum number of 15 nominations were filed in Naraina (Ward 139).

It was followed by 14 each in Ashok Vihar (Ward 65, reserved for women) and Chandni Chowk (Ward 74), said a summary issued by State Election Commission.

The least number of six candidates are there in three wards — Mundka (Ward 35), Dwarka-B (Ward 120) and Dakshipuri (Ward 164, reserved for SC).

After voting on November 30, the results will be declared on December 3.

The vacant wards include Mundka, Shalimar Bagh-B, Ashok Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Chandni Mahal, Dwarka B, Dichaon Kalan, Naraina, Sangam Vihar-A, Dakshin Puri (SC), Greater Kailash, and Vinod Nagar.

These wards fall under key Assembly constituencies such as Mundka, Wazirpur, Matiala, Najafgarh, Rajender Nagar, Deoli, and Patparganj.

The by-elections have assumed significance due to experts calling them a barometer for judging the popularity of the Delhi government led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

They say the outcome is going to reflect the political sentiment in the city, in which the BJP returned to power in the Assembly after 27 years earlier this year.

Chief Minister Gupta said these by-elections are an extremely important step towards continuously ensuring local development, cleanliness, and order in Delhi.

“All our candidates are committed to serving the public with complete dedication, honesty, and transparency. It is a matter of pride for us that out of our total 12 candidates, eight are women,” she added.

The by-elections were necessitated after the Councillors from these seats were elected to Parliament and the Delhi Assembly in the past 12 months.

Eleven councillors, including CM Gupta, were elected as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

The Dwarka-B ward has been vacant since last year after BJP’s Kamaljeet Sehrawat was elected as a Member of Parliament from West Delhi.

According to an MCD official, the BJP at present has 116 councillors, AAP has 98, Indraprastha Vikas Party has 15 and Congress has eight and one seat with an Independent in the 250-member civic House.

–IANS

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