Campaigning Ends For Delhi Civic Body Elections

The high-decibel campaigning for the December 4 municipal elections in Delhi, which saw roadshows of AAP and BJP heavyweights criss-cross through the national capital amid a political slugfest, concluded on Friday.

Giving campaigns of their parties one final push on Friday, BJP leaders held over 200 public meetings and roadshows, while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia held a town hall with 400 traders to discuss issues faced by them while dealing with the civic body.

The BJP also announced its "commitment" to regularise weekly markets of street vendors and hawkers.

The AAP and the Congress also made a slew of promises to the voters during the campaigning.

Top AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, held public meetings across the city, urging people to vote for party candidates.

The campaign for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls saw BJP leaders dub Chief Minister Kejriwal "kattar beiman" (hardcore corrupt), while the AAP termed the saffron party a "video-making company" and said that the Bhalswa landfill site symbolises its "mountain of failures".

The BJP has ruled the MCD since 2007 and is seeking a fourth term.

During its 15-year tenure, the civic body was trifurcated into NDMC, SDMC, and EDMC (2012-2022), and reunified earlier this year.

This will be the first municipal election in the national capital after the delimitation of wards. Both the BJP and the AAP have fielded 250 candidates, while the Congress is contesting only 247 seats.

Over the past few weeks, many Union ministers and chief ministers of several BJP-ruled states like Hardeep Singh Puri, Piyush Goyal, Anurag Thakur, Manohar Lal Khattar and Pushkar Singh Dhami campaigned for the party candidates and targeted the AAP, with Mr Kejriwal often in their crosshairs.

Countering the BJP, Mr Kejriwal said the party invited seven of its chief ministers, a deputy chief minister, and 17 Union ministers to attack an "aam aadmi" (common man) like him.

As part of its campaign, the AAP repeatedly targeted the BJP over its "failure" to clear the three landfill sites in Delhi's Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa during its tenure in the municipal corporation.

Over the years, fires have broken out at these dumping yards which have tonnes of legacy waste, leaving neighbouring areas shrouded in smoke for days.

Both the AAP and the BJP have exuded confidence that they will romp home with a majority in the MCD polls.

Smaller parties such as Janata Dal (United), All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Swaraj India and Bahujan Samaj Party are also in the race.

With political parties going all out to woo voters, the Delhi Police has been busy preventing chances of communal flare-ups and checking the use of illegal means by candidates to lure voters.

Senior district-level officers have been asked to stay in office during the night while station house officers have been directed to attend any call related to gang fights, clashes or issues that might have a communal colour.

The counting of votes for the MCD elections will take place on December 7.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)