Councillors vie for Assembly poll tickets

The BJP is yet to name candidates for all 70 seats. The Congress has announced the names of 24 candidates, while the AAP has announced all the names

Municipal councillors across Delhi are vying for tickets to contest the Assembly elections, which are expected to be announced this month.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party is yet to name candidates for all 70 seats for the Delhi Assembly polls and the Congress has announced candidates for 24 Assembly seats, the Aam Aadmi Party has already announced all its candidates. The AAP’s list includes councillors from the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the Congress has fielded a former Mayor from Mehrauli.

Bhati ward councillor Kartar Singh Tanwar, who left the BJP in November 2014, has now been given the AAP ticket to contest from Chhatarpur. Independent councillor from Nawada ward Naresh Balyan, who was earlier with the BJP, is the AAP candidate from Uttam Nagar, while former Bahujan Samaj Party member and Tekhand councillor Sahi Ram has been given the Tughlakabad ticket.

Though the BJP has not declared any candidates so far, quite a few of its councillors are in the running, the foremost being party Delhi president Satish Upadhyay. The first-time councillor in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) from Malviya Nagar has emerged as an important player in Delhi politics after being appointed State BJP chief last year.

According to BJP sources, Mr. Upadhyay may contest the Malviya Nagar Assembly seat. In the SDMC, veteran councillor and current Standing Committee chairperson Subhash Arya, Standing Committee chairperson Pankaj Singh and former Mayor Sarita Choudhary are also in the running from Rajouri Garden, Vikaspuri and Mehrauli Assembly segments respectively.

Janakpuri councillor and Delhi BJP general-secretary Ashish Sood is keen on contesting from Janakpuri Assembly seat, which has been won by senior BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi five times.

Mr. Arya refused to address his prospects, but said: “There are 104 councillors in the SDMC and they would all like to become MLAs. As far as the BJP councillors are concerned, it is up to the party to decide who to field.”

Among those seeking tickets from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation are Mayor Yogender Chandolia from Karol Bagh, Deputy Mayor Ravinder Gupta from Sadar Bazar and Deputy Chairperson of the Standing Committee Rekha Gupta from Shalimar Bagh.

From the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, Standing Committee chairperson B.B Tyagi is vying for the BJP ticket from Laxmi Nagar. The BJP has been in power in the civic bodies for nearly eight years, a fact that the party wants to use to its advantage during the campaign. And with Mr. Upadhyay appointing many councillors as office-bearers, chances of municipal leaders getting tickets have increased this year. Last time, the BJP fielded six councillors and three of them won.

However, no councillors feature in the Congress’ list of 24 candidates. Former Mayor Satbir Singh has been fielded from Mehrauli. SDMC councillor Amrita Dhawan and Leader of Opposition in North Corporation Mukesh Goel are among the ticket-hopeful Congress councillors.