Delhi News: All party workers are in a race to become the candidate in the country's capital for the Delhi Municipal Corporation elections. AAP, BJP, Congress are adopting different formulas to field candidates in MCD elections. Two months prior to the Delhi MCD elections, the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP have already started looking for candidates.
AAP Conducting A Survey
A senior Aam Aadmi Party leader said that possible names of candidates are being sought from all assembly supervisors, district in-charges, and MLAs. In an attempt to give the meritorious candidates a chance, names are being sought on various levels. They will be matched with the survey. The Aam Aadmi Party leader said the names chosen will be considered after the Punjab assembly elections are over.
AAP MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said that in the last two years, the party has built ties with the people by exposing BJP. He said the party is confident about finding suitable candidates, whom the people like and who serve the community. “Under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal, we are quite sure that people will give an opportunity to AAP this time,” he said.
Candidates Queue Up At BJP MP’s Office
Senior leaders in the BJP camp said that candidates have started queuing up at the offices of MPs and hundreds of CVs are being received daily. For instance, between January 7 and 11, east Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir's office received more than 400 CVs.
According to an aide of the MP, the CV mostly contains details of positions being held by the person in the party, photographs with top leaders, clippings of news articles.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Gambhir said, "I met hundreds of potential candidates for the upcoming municipal elections in my office and received their applications. The process is still underway. The criteria are simple: the person should serve the people of his/her area with utmost honesty and should be a loyal party worker.
An aide of BJP leader and Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, Neelkanth Bakshi, said that whenever he is in Delhi, hundreds of people come to meet him. Aspirants also line up at the party office and are meeting state leaders for tickets.
Delhi MCD Elections In April
Elections to the three MCDs — North, East, and South — are scheduled to be held in April. The BJP had won 181 of the 272 wards in the 2017 elections and secured a majority in each corporation.
AAP came in at number two. The BJP, which has come to power three times in a row, is facing tough competition from AAP this time. Last month, the State Election Commission had announced the list of reserved seats for the MCD elections.
According to the order, 15 out of 104 wards in the South Corporation, 20 out of 104 in the North, and 11 out of 64 in the East have been reserved for Scheduled Castes on the basis of the 2011 Census. Also, 50 percent of the seats have been reserved for women.