AAP's '4-engine government' jab at BJP after Delhi mayor poll win: No excuses now

AAP said the BJP, which won the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections of the MCD, will be forced to work and that excuses won't be tolerated as the party has a "four-engine government" in Delhi.

In Short

• BJP won Delhi Mayor and Deputy Mayor polls after AAP boycott
• AAP says BJP must deliver results and not empty rhetoric
• Accuses BJP of attempting to bribe AAP councillors

As the BJP won the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) earlier today, AAP said that the party would be forced to deliver real results instead of indulging in "empty rhetoric". Taking a dig at the BJP by calling it a "four-engine government", AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said the party's excuses won't work any more.

Bhardwaj pointed out that the MCD has 238 councillors and the majority mark is 120. "Despite all kinds of manipulation and political manoeuvring, the BJP still holds only 117 councillors in the 250-member House," he said.

Bhardwaj, who is also AAP's Delhi chief, claimed that the BJP had conspired to grab power from the back door despite losing the MCD elections in 2022. AAP won a majority in that election, getting 134 seats, while the BJP managed 104.

However, with the anti-defection law not applying to the MCD, there was continuous poaching of councillors from both ends. AAP presently has 113 seats, while BJP has 117 and Congress eight.

Bhardwaj said, "To win the MCD election, they carried out delimitation of wards, which was done with severe irregularities. Even then, AAP secured 134 seats, while the BJP got only 104.

He alleged that the BJP attempted to force votes from the nominated aldermen in the Mayor's election and said, "The Supreme Court clearly ruled that Aldermen cannot vote. Even after that, the BJP is trying to intimidate and bribe AAP councillors to bring them to their side," he revealed.

AAP did not field candidates for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections, asserting that the move was done in the "interests of Delhi".

Asking the BJP to immediately form a Standing Committee, Bhardwaj said, "With the BJP now in control of the Centre, the Lieutenant Governor’s office and the MCD, Delhi is effectively under a four-engine government. Although the Lt Governor's engine starts and stops erratically, the BJP has no reason to delay governance. The people of Delhi will now see whether they can deliver."