NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated councillor Pravesh Wahi from Rohini E ward as its candidate for the mayoral election in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Wahi is currently serving as the Leader of the House in the MCD. His nomination comes at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced that it will not contest the mayoral election. With the BJP holding a majority in the civic body and no direct contest from AAP, Wahi is expected to secure an easy victory in the upcoming mayoral polls. In addition to the mayoral candidate, the party also announced its nominees for other key posts. Monika Pant has been named as the candidate for deputy mayor, while Jay Bhagwan Yadav has been nominated as a member of the standing committee and Leader of the House. Manish Chadha has been fielded as a member of the standing committee. Out of the total 250 seats in the House, the BJP has 123 councillors, while AAP has 100. The remaining strength includes 15 councillors of the Indraprastha Vikas Party, formed after splitting from AAP; nine Congress councillors; one member from the Forward Bloc; and one Independent councillor, while one seat is vacant. In the mayoral and deputy mayoral elections, councillors are joined by MPs and MLAs as voters. By that calculation, the BJP commands 141 votes—comprising 123 councillors, seven Lok Sabha MPs, and 11 MLAs. AAP has 106 votes—100 councillors, three Rajya Sabha MPs, and three MLAs.
