delhi

Updated: May 23, 2017 23:21 IST

The Aam Aadmi Party won Maujpur while Congress bagged Sarai Pipal Thala ward in the municipal bypolls, results of which were declared on Tuesday morning.

Now, of the total 272 wards across the municipal corporations, BJP holds 184 seats, AAP 47 and Congress 31. Smaller parties and independents have 10 seats.

In Maujpur, AAP candidate Reshma Nadeem defeated Congress’ Rekha Sharma by a margin of 699 votes. The ward was a stronghold of BJP. Sanjay Jain, former leader of the house in EDMC, had represented it for two consecutive terms.

In Sarai Pipal Thala, Congress candidate and former leader of opposition in North MCD, Mukesh Kumar Goel, won with 10, 946 votes. Goel has earlier represented Dhirpur ward for two terms.

The bypoll was necessitated due to death of candidates in the two wards.

Despite BJP sweeping the municipal elections in the April 26 polls , the saffron party failed to make a headway with the Muslim voters. In Maujpur, which has more than 45% Muslim population, BJP candidate Suman Sharma came a distant third with 5,763 votes. In Sarai Pipal Thala ward which has over 20% Muslim populace, Goel defeated BJP’s Mangat Ram Sharma by 2,743 votes.

The Congress described its victory in Sarai Pipal Thala as a “great achievement”.

“What is more pleasing is that in both the wards together, the Congress candidates bagged 19, 621 votes which is 39 % of the total votes polled. The BJP got only 13, 966 votes (27 %) while the AAP had slipped to mere 24% as it secured total 12, 277,” said Congress Delhi in charge PC Chacko .

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said the party is analysing the results and its aim is to increase its vote share to 51% in Delhi.

Mool Chand Bhatti, a shopkeeper in Maujpur, said, “The BJP hardly got any support from the people of minority community whose votes decides the elections here. The Muslims community here earlier voted Congress but this time the vote got drifted to AAP,” he said.

Besides, there were civic issues that the former councillor failed to address like availability of clean drinking water and overflowing sewer.

Several people in the ward , however, also said that BJP also paid the price of infighting in the party which lead to Congress and AAP performing better in the area.

Mohammad Abbas, a resident of the area, said, “There were more than 20 ticket seekers trying hard to get the party tickets. We all know what happens when there is so much disaffection?”

In the April 25 municipal elections too, BJP had failed to make inroads in Muslim dominated areas and had one out of six wards in the Walled City. BJP candidate Ravinder Kumar won Chandni Chowk ward but the party lost in all other six wards—Delhi Gate, Daryaganj, Ballimaran, Jama Masjid, Ajmeri Gate and Bazar Sitaram.

Out of the five Muslim candidates that the party had fielded, all in minority dominated areas like Quresh Nagar, Zakir Nagar, Chauhan Banger, Mustafabad, and Delhi Gate lost to contestants from other parties.

Vijender Sharama, a resident of Sarai Pipal Thala said, “The area has traditionally backed Congress and despite the Modi wave in other areas, people here showed faith in Goel. There has not been spectacular developmental works here but Goel has done well. He also had complete backing of the people from minority communities who voted for him in large numbers.”