Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta Resigns After Party's Defeat To AAP In MCD Election

Earlier this week, the AAP wrested power from the BJP in the high-stakes civic polls. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party bagged 134 of the 250 wards while the BJP won 104.

File Photo of BJP leader Adesh Gupta who has resigned from the post of Delhi BJP President.

New Delhi: Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta on Sunday resigned from his post taking "moral responsibility" for the party's loss in the recently held polls for Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). 

The resignation has been accepted by the party's national president JP Nadda. Delhi BJP vice president Virendra Sachdeva has been appointed as the working president.

"The party did not get the expected results in the MCD elections, taking moral responsibility for the defeat, I have resigned from the post of Delhi BJP President," Adesh Gupta told news agency ANI.

Earlier this week, the AAP wrested power from the BJP in the high-stakes civic polls. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party bagged 134 of the 250 wards while the BJP won 104.

Following the poll result, Adesh Gupta thanked the people of Delhi and the party's activists and leaders as it bagged 104 wards despite anti-incumbency.

The BJP had ruled the MCD -- trifurcated in 2012 into north, south, and east corporations and unified this year -- for 15 years.

The MCD mayor will be from the AAP and the BJP will play the role of a "strong opposition", Adesh Gupta said on Friday, ending speculation over the saffron party staking a claim on the mayor's post despite losing the local body polls.

Earlier this year, the AAP had emerged as the single-largest party in Chandigarh by winning 14 of the 35 wards in the municipal polls but the BJP secured the mayor's post.

The MCD mayor is elected by all 250 councillors in the House, seven Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs from the city, and 14 MLAs nominated by the speaker of the Delhi Assembly.

"We will play the role of a strong opposition in the MCD to save Delhi from the AAP, which has become synonymous with corruption," Gupta said during a press conference, as quoted by PTI.

Notably, his predecessor Manoj Tiwari had resigned following the BJP's defeat to the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in the 2020 assembly election.

(With Agency Inputs)