2022 Delhi Municipal Corporation election

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2022 Delhi Municipal Corporation election
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←  2017 4 December 20222027 →
All 250 seats of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi
126 seats needed for a majority
Turnout50.48% [1] (Decrease2.svg 3.10%)
 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
  Arvind Kejriwal September 02, 2017 crop.jpg Adesh Kumar Gupta.jpg Hand INC.svg
Leader Arvind Kejriwal Adesh Kumar Gupta Anil Chaudhary
Party AAP BJP INC
Alliance None NDA UPA
Leader since201220202020
Last election26.23%,
49 seats [a] 		36.08%,
181 seats [b] 		21.09%,
31 seats [c]
Seats before5116322
Seats won1341049
Seat changeIncrease2.svg85Decrease2.svg59Decrease2.svg13
Percentage42.05%39.09%11.68%
SwingIncrease2.svg 15.82%Increase2.svg 3.01%Decrease2.svg 9.41%
Delhi Municipal Corporation map 2022.png
Map depicting the winning party for each ward
India Delhi NCT Municipal Corporation 2022.svg
MCD majority before election

NDMC - BJP
SDMC - BJP
EDMC - BJP

MCD majority after election

AAP

Municipal elections were held in Delhi on 4 December 2022 to elect 250 councillors of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The counting of the votes and declaration of results took place on 7 December 2022.

Contents

The Aam Aadmi Party won a simple majority in the corporation. This was the maiden election to the municipal corporation since its reunification in May 2022. [2]

Background

The tenure of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, and East Delhi Municipal Corporation concluded on 18 May 2022. [3] The previous municipal elections were held in April 2017 to elect the councillors of the three municipal corporations.

Re-merger of municipal corporations

In March 2022, the Delhi State Election Commission indefinitely deferred the municipal elections that were scheduled to be held in April 2022. [4] On 22 March, the Union Government approved the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill to re-merge the three municipal corporations into a unified body. [5] The unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi formally came into existence from 22 May 2022. [6]

Events

The State Election Commission in Delhi had been preparing for the Delhi Municipal Elections and had issued multiple notices, notifications, and orders indicating that the election was scheduled to take place in April 2022. [7]

On March 9, 2022, the Delhi State Election Commission announced a press conference at 5 PM to release the schedule for the municipal elections planned for April. However, shortly after this announcement, the commission received an unofficial communication from the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, indicating that the Union Government intended to merge the three municipal bodies. This raises critical concerns about the transparency and timing of the communication, as it suggests potential political interference or a lack of coordination between the Union Government and the State Election Commission, undermining the autonomy of the electoral process. [7] No formal communication was issued regarding the merger plans, nor was any such agenda disclosed during the ongoing budget session of the Parliament of India. Following the informal communication from the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, the press conference to announce the election schedule was indefinitely postponed, and the elections were deferred. This sequence of events raises serious questions about the procedural integrity and transparency of the decision-making process, as well as the timing and legitimacy of the intervention. [7]

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP, the ruling party of India, of using the unification of municipal bodies as a pretext to delay the elections. He remarked, "Can they cancel civic polls for this reason? If they can use such excuses to postpone a minor election, what’s to stop them from delaying state and national elections in the future?" [8]

Delimitation exercise

The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 proposed reducing the number of councillor seats from the existing 272 to a maximum of 250. [9] A three-member delimitation committee was established on July 8, 2022, with a mandate to complete its work and submit a report within four months of its formation. The committee, led by State Election Commissioner Vijay Dev, was tasked with determining ward boundaries based on specific guidelines.

The average ward size was set at approximately 65,000 people, with each assembly constituency divided into a minimum of three wards. While the principle of maintaining an average population per ward was emphasised, deviations of up to plus or minus 10% were deemed acceptable by the Union Government.

The total population of the corporation, as per the 2011 census, was to be divided by the total number of wards to calculate the average population per ward. Additionally, the number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes was required to reflect the proportion of the Scheduled Caste population to the total population of Delhi.

To ensure accuracy, the delimitation commission utilised digitised maps provided by Geospatial Delhi Limited (GSDL). [10]

Lawsuit to conduct the election

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) filed a petition with the Supreme Court, seeking directives for the State Election Commission to conduct a fair and timely election without interference from the Union Government. The plea, submitted by AAP leaders Ankush Narang and Manoj Kumar Tyagi, requested that the elections be held as per the State Election Commission's original schedule, ensuring they take place before the term of the municipal corporations concluded in May. [7]

The plea argued, "The elections have been postponed at the eleventh hour based solely on an informal intimation to the State Election Commission. The commission, established as an independent constitutional authority, is meant to be insulated from political whims and caprices to ensure the conduct of free, fair, and timely elections. Such an arbitrary and sudden alteration of the election schedule, solely at the behest of the government, constitutes a blatant violation of the fundamental democratic principle of impartial election conduct." It further described the incident as a "brazen display of influence by the Government of India over the State Election Commission and an egregious interference in the conduct of municipal elections." The plea accused the Union Government of undermining the commission's independence, asserting that its intervention was the sole reason for the election delay. [7]

AAP criticized the indefinite deferral of the elections as completely arbitrary and questioned the court whether elections, already scheduled and prepared for, could be postponed based on unofficial communications made "at the whim of the Central Government." [7]

State Election Commission response

On March 23, The Indian Express reported, citing unnamed sources, that the State Election Commission had sought legal advice on whether elections could proceed amidst the Union Government's plans to unify the municipal corporations. According to the report, the legal advisors recommended that the commission wait until the ongoing parliamentary session concluded before making a decision. Consequently, the commission was expected to finalise its stance on the elections in the second week of April. The report also highlighted the possibility of ward reorganization in Delhi, which could further delay the elections. [3]

Lawsuit demanding the use of a voting machine with paper trail

In March 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) requested that the authorities conducting the elections use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) compatible with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems. In response, the State Election Commission of Delhi stated that it had decided to conduct the 2022 MCD elections using second-generation M-2 EVMs, which do not support VVPAT. [11]

A petition was filed in the Delhi High Court by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, seeking a directive for the State Election Commission of Delhi to conduct the MCD elections using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) equipped with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems. His legal counsel argued that without VVPAT machines, verifying the accuracy of the EVMs was nearly impossible, and the possibility of tampering could not be ruled out. [11]

In Subramanian Swamy vs. Election Commission of India (2013), the Supreme Court of India recognised the inclusion of a paper trail system in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) as essential for ensuring free and fair elections. The petition filed by AAP criticised the State Election Commission's decision to use older second-generation M-2 EVMs without Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) as a direct violation of the Supreme Court's directions, terming it "manifestly wrong" and a "colourable exercise of power." The petition further argued that this decision raised "genuine apprehensions about the sanctity of the entire electoral process." [11] [12]

The petition stated, "There are no assembly elections scheduled anywhere in the country after March 7, 2022. Therefore, there should be no impediment in loaning the newer generation EVMs, which are compatible with VVPAT, to the State Election Commission of Delhi for conducting the 2022 MCD elections." [13]

The State Election Commission of Delhi stated that it relied on the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the supply of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The ECI had provided M-2 EVMs, which do not support Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), to the SEC. In court, the SEC of Delhi clarified that it had no objections to using EVMs with VVPAT if the ECI supplied them. [14]

The Election Commission of India (ECI) opposed the plea in court, stating that it could not provide EVMs equipped with VVPAT to the State Election Commission (SEC). The ECI argued that these machines were designated for elections under its supervision and could not be allocated to agencies outside its direct oversight. [13]

AAP argued in court that the EVMs procured by the State Election Commission (SEC) were not compatible with VVPAT and requested the disclosure of the total number of VVPAT-compatible machines available in India. In response, the High Court directed the SEC to clarify which of its procured EVMs were compatible with VVPAT. The court granted the SEC ten days to respond, with the next hearing scheduled for April 29. [14]

Schedule

The election schedule was announced by the Delhi State Election Commission on 4 November 2022. [15]

Poll EventDate
Notification date7 November 2022
Last date for filing nomination14 November 2022
Date for scrutiny of nominations16 November 2022
Last date for withdrawal of candidatures19 November 2022
Date of Poll4 December 2022
Date of Counting7 December 2022

Parties and alliances

   Aam Aadmi Party

No.PartyFlagSymbolLeaderPhotoSeats Contested
1. Aam Aadmi Party Aam Aadmi Party logo (English).svg AAP Symbol.png Arvind Kejriwal Arvind Kejriwal September 02, 2017 crop.jpg 250 [16] [17]

   National Democratic Alliance

No.PartyFlagSymbolLeaderPhotoSeats Contested
1. Bharatiya Janata Party BJP flag.svg BJP election symbol.png Adesh Kumar Gupta Adesh Kumar Gupta.jpg 250 [16] [17]

   United Progressive Alliance

No.PartyFlagSymbolLeaderSeats Contested
1. Indian National Congress INC Flag Official.jpg Hand INC.svg Anil Chaudhary 247 [16] [17]

   Left Front

No.Party [18] FlagSymbolSeats contested
1. Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI-M-flag.svg CPIM election symbol.png 6 [16] [18]
2. Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation CPIML LIBERATION FLAG.png Flag Logo of CPIML.png 5 [16] [18]
3. Communist Party of India CPI-banner.svg CPI symbol.svg 3 [16] [18]
4. All India Forward Bloc AIFB Flag 2023.png Indian Election Symbol Lion.svg 3 [16] [18]

Others

No.PartyFlagSymbolLeaderSeats Contested
1. Bahujan Samaj Party Elephant Bahujan Samaj Party.svg Indian Election Symbol Elephant.png C. P. Singh [19] 132 [16] [17]
2. Nationalist Congress Party NCP-flag.svg Nationalist Congress Party Election Symbol.png Yoganand Shastri [20] 26 [16] [17]
3. Janata Dal (United) Janata Dal (United) Flag.svg Indian Election Symbol Arrow.svg Satya Prakash Mishra [19] 22 [16] [17]
4. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen logo.svg Indian Election Symbol Kite.svg Kaleemul Hafeez [19] 15 [16] [17]

Candidates

AAP released the first list of 134 candidates on 11 November 2022. [21] The second list of 117 candidates was released on 12 November 2022 [22] wherein one candidate from the first list was replaced. [23]

BJP released the first list of 232 candidates on 12 November 2022. [24] The second list of 18 candidates was released on 14 November 2022. [25] BJP replaced 7 candidates on 14 November 2022. [26]

Congress released the first list of 249 candidates on 13 November 2022. [27] The list of candidates for the remaining seat, along with replacements for three candidates from the first list, was released on November 14, 2022. [28] Nominations of three Congress candidates was rejected during scrutiny. [16]

Exit polls

Polling firm/CommissionerLeadRemarks
AAP BJP INC Others
Aaj Tak-Axis My India 149-17169-913-75-958-102AAP majority
Zee News-BARC 134-14682-948-1414-1940-64AAP majority
Times Now-Navbharat146-15684-946-100-452-72AAP majority
NewsX-Navbharat159-17270-924-70-167-102AAP majority
Poll of polls (Average) [29] 154846670AAP majority
Actual result1341049330AAP majority

Results

13410493
AAPBJPINCIND
Vote Share of different parties in the election.
  1. AAP (42.05%)
  2. BJP (39.09%)
  3. INC (11.68%)
  4. BSP (1.8%)
  5. IND (3.46%)
  6. NOTA (0.78%)
  7. Other (1.14%)

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 21 seats in NDMC, 16 seats in SDMC and 12 seats in SDMC
  2. ↑ 64 seats in NDMC, 70 seats in SDMC and 47 seats in EDMC
  3. ↑ 16 seats in NDMC, 12 seats in SDMC, 3 seats in EDMC

References

  1. ↑ "Delhi records 50.48% voter turnout in high-stakes municipal elections". The News Minute. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "50.47% voter turnout in MCD polls; more men cast vote than women: SEC". The Indian Express. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  3. 1 2 "SEC likely to decide on Delhi civic body polls in the second week of April: Sources". The Indian Express. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "MCD elections preparations on hold, state poll body issues notice". Hindustan Times. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Union Cabinet clears Bill to merge three municipal corporations of Delhi". mint. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Delhi's unified municipal corporation formally comes into existence". Firstpost. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "AAP Moves Supreme Court Over Deferral Of Delhi Civic Elections". NDTV.com. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Kejriwal targets BJP: If polls deferred in this manner, there will be no point of democracy". The Indian Express. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "MCD polls: Delimitation exercise on track, to be completed by November deadline".
  10. ↑ "Delimitation panel to use digitised maps, rope in MCD employees to redraw ward boundaries".
  11. 1 2 3 "Why EVMs with VVPAT can't be used in upcoming MCD polls, HC asks State EC". The Hindu. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  12. ↑ Sathasivam, P. "Dr. Subramanian Swamy vs Election Commission Of India on 8 October 2013" . Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  13. 1 2 Thapliyal, Nupur (8 April 2022). "Must Maintain Technological Integrity Of EVMs & VVPATs, Can't Share With State Election Commissions: ECI Opposes AAP's Plea In Delhi HC". livelaw.in. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  14. 1 2 "MCD Polls: Which EVM units VVPAT compatible, High Court asks Delhi EC". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  15. ↑ "Delhi MCD polls to be held on December 4, results on December 7". The Indian Express. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Delhi MCD polls: Total 1,349 candidates in the run, majority are women". TimesNow. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Delhi MCD Election में कुल 1,349 उम्मीदवार, 709 महिलाएं और 640 पुरुष, सबसे ज्यादा निर्दलीय उम्मीदवार". Jansatta (in Hindi). 20 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 "MCD Elections: Left Front in the Fray With Alternative Politics". NewsClick. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 "Delhi: These small parties are hoping to make a significant dent in MCD polls". The Times of India. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  20. ↑ "दिल्ली: MCD चुनाव में ताल ठोकेगी NCP, योगानंद शास्त्री को मिली जिम्मेदारी". आज तक (in Hindi). 24 November 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  21. ↑ "Delhi civic poll: AAP's first list of 134 candidates out, over 60 women named". Hindustan Times. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  22. ↑ "Delhi civic poll: AAP releases 2nd list of 117 candidates". Hindustan Times. 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  23. ↑ "MCD polls: AAP's second list out, race to the Civic Centre heats up". Hindustan Times. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  24. ↑ "Delhi MCD Election 2022: BJP Releases First List of 232 Candidates". india.com. 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  25. ↑ "BJP releases second list of 18 candidates for Delhi MCD election". PardaPhash. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  26. ↑ "MCD election: Delhi BJP changes candidates in 7 wards amid discontent over tickets, 2 replaced due to technical issue". TimesNow. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  27. ↑ "Delhi MCD Polls 2022: Congress releases list of 249 candidates". Zee News. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  28. ↑ "Correction/changes to 1st list". Twitter. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  29. ↑ "Poll Of Exit Polls Results 2022 Highlights: BJP Predicted To Win Gujarat, Himachal; AAP Wave In Delhi". NDTV.com. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  30. ↑ "Party Wise Votes Share" (PDF). 8 December 2022.
  31. ↑ "Delhi MCD election results: AAP wins civic body polls, ends BJP's 15-year run". The Indian Express. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  32. ↑ "Reports | State Election Commission, NCT of Delhi". sec.delhi.gov.in. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  33. ↑ "Delhi MCD Election Result 2022: AAP Sweeps Corporation Polls, Full List of Ward-Wise Winning Candidates". India.com. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
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