Campaigning for bypolls of five Delhi municipal wards ends, voting on Sunday

The campaigning for the by-elections of five municipal wards here ended on Friday, with main rivals AAP, the BJP and the Congress claiming wins in the bypolls to be held on Sunday. Voting for the municipal bypolls will be helmed in the five wards from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. The results will be announced on 3 March, election officials said. The bypolls are being seen as the semifinal ahead of the civic body elections for 272 wards of three municipal corporations in early 2022. The AAP has claimed a clean sweep with party convener and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, during a roadshow in Seelampur, asserting that his party can challenge the BJP and termed the Congress its “B team”. The BJP leaders, including national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, Delhi unit president Adesh Gupta, MPs Manoj Tiwari and Gautam Gambhir also attended roadshows on Friday. The main candidates in the by-elections are Dhirendra from the Aam Aadmi Party, Siyaram Kanojia from the BJP and Dharampal Maurya from the Congress in the Kalyanpuri ward. Vijay Kumar from the AAP, Om Prakash Gugarwal from the BJP and Bal Kishan are contesting from Trilokpuri ward. Former AAP MLA Haji Ishraq Khan is pitted against Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad of Congress and Nazir Ansari of BJP from Chauhan Bamgar ward. All three wards are under the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. The AAP held these wards which were vacated after sitting councillors contested the assembly polls last year and became MLAs. From the Shalimarbagh north ward that fell vacant after the death of BJP councilor, the contest is between Surbhi Jaju of BJP, Sunita Mishra of AAP and Mamta from the Congress. The Rohini-C ward will witness a keen contest among former Bawana MLA Ramchandra from AAP, Rajesh Goyal from BJP and Mewati Barwala of the Congress. The AAP and the BJP have been attacking each other over a range of issues including corruption during the campaigning. Senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha on Friday alleged that the BJP, ruling the three municipal corporations, has turned the city into a heap of garbage. “People will end BJP’s corruption by ensuring the victory of AAP candidates with huge margins. The victory of AAP in the municipal election will speed up development as the party also rules in Delhi,” he said at a press conference. At a roadshow in Trilokpuri, senior BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav said, “The Kejriwal government is running on advertisements and false promises. The defeat of AAP candidates is certain in the bypolls.” Accompanying him, northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari alleged that all the three wards in EDMC where AAP councillors had won earlier were in heaps of garbage. Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta, participating in a Padyatra in Kalyanpuri, asserted that the party will win all five wards. The Congress leaders at a press conference appealed to Delhiites to vote for the party candidates in the by-elections on Sunday. People of Delhi are extending overwhelming support to the Congress candidates in the public meetings, roadshows and ‘padayatras’, giving a clear indication of which way the wind is blowing," claimed AICC incharge of party’s Delhi unit Shakti Sinh Gohil. “Delhiites feel betrayed and let-down by the BJP and the AAP, as they had hoped that these parties will create miracles, but got only disappointment,” he charged.