AAP's Mahesh Kumar Khichi elected as Delhi's new mayor
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Mahesh Kumar Khichi has been elected as Delhi's new mayor. He defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Kishan Lal from Shakurpur ward to secure the top post. He got 133 votes, while Lal got 130. This is the third mayoral election since the AAP ended the BJP 15-year control of the civic body in December 2022.
Khichi thanks party
Following the win, he thanked AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the party's top leadership and promised all the councillors that "together we will work for the development of Delhi." Khichi, who represents Dev Nagar ward number 84, has been associated with the AAP since 2012. He was also part of the 2011 India Against Corruption movement that led to the birth of the AAP.
Watch video of Delhi's Civic Centre here
Khichi will only serve for 5 months
Khinchi will only serve for five months, as the election was initially supposed to be held in April but was postponed over prolonged political standoff between the AAP and BJP. This issue over the short tenure had forced the Congress to boycott the election, with one of its councilors resigning from the party and voting for the AAP instead.
Dalit mayor this time
This term is significant because it would mark the tenure of a Dalit candidate as mayor, in accordance with the MCD's rotating policy. The policy mandates annual mayoral elections based on different reservation categories over a five-year cycle. The first year is for women, the second for open category, the third for reserved, and the final two for open again.
