At least 10 municipal councillors, including a Mayor and three former Mayors from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led corporations, are in the fray in Saturday’s Delhi Assembly polls.
Among the municipal councillors fielded by BJP are former South Delhi Mayor Sarita Choudhary from Mehrauli and former Delhi Mayor Rajni Abbi from Timarpur. Mayor of North Delhi Municipal Corporation Yogender Chandolia is also in the fray from Karol Bagh constituency.
The erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated in 2012 into the North, South and East Delhi corporations. Ms. Abbi was the last Mayor before the civic body was split. All three civic bodies are currently led by the BJP. Former North Delhi Mayor Azad Singh, who fought last Delhi polls from Mundka and lost, has once again been fielded by the BJP.
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Mr. Azad, brother of former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma — a well-known politician from Mundka, was defeated in 2013 by Independent Rambeer Shokeen. His wife Rita is now contesting against Mr. Azad on a Congress ticket. She is an Independent ward councillor in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and the couple had joined the Congress last month.
NDMC Standing Committee Deputy Chairman Rekha Gupta will try her luck from Shalimar Bagh on a BJP ticket.
Mr. Chandolia says having served as a councillor and Mayor will help him “get an edge” over other candidates.
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Ms. Choudhary, who is contesting from Mehrauli, is also banking on her stint as Mayor of South Delhi. She will face Congress’ Satbir Singh and AAP’s Naresh Yadav in this election.
In last polls, Sahib Singh Verma’s son Parvesh Sahib Singh had upstaged Congress candidate and former Delhi Speaker Yoganand Shastri from Mehrauli.
East Delhi Municipal Corporation Standing Committee Chairman B. B. Tyagi has been fielded by the BJP from Laxmi Nagar. Mr. Tyagi is fighting against Congress’ A. K. Walia and AAP’s Nitin Tyagi. The BJP had swept all three top posts in the last mayoral polls. — PTI