New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday joined the road show of Anita Jain, BJP’s candidate from MCD’s Shalimar Bagh-B in the by-elections on November 30, and the nomination process of another candidate, a party leader said.

Responding to the public response to the road show, CM Gupta said on X, “With your blessings, our resolve to develop Delhi has become even stronger. This blessing will further empower our energy and commitment towards good governance, public trust, and transparent development.”

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

She said, “Today, I had the opportunity to participate in the nomination roadshow of Anita Jain, the municipal corporation candidate from Shalimar Bagh-B, Ward Number 56, and witnessed the unprecedented enthusiasm and affection of the public.”

The warmth and blessings with which the people of the area welcomed her clearly demonstrate that the immense support of the public is with the BJP across all 12 wards, including Shalimar Bagh-B, she said.

An official said CM Gupta also participated in the puja before the nomination of Veena Asija, the candidate from Ashok Vihar, Ward 65, in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bye-election, and extended her best wishes to her.

In a post on X, the CM said, “Veena Asija’s dedication, hard work, and diligence towards public service have earned her a special place among the people. She will receive the full blessings and immense affection of the people of this ward.”

The Chief Minister said this bye-election is 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, 8 are women,” she said.

“This clearly reflects our commitment to empowering women’s strength with leadership and appropriate representation. I extend my heartfelt best wishes to each candidate for their upcoming election campaign. I am firmly confident that the enlightened citizens of Delhi will bestow their valuable blessings and support on this resolve for service,” she said.

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 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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