Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta resigns after MCD polls defeat
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Adesh Gupta officially resigned from his post as the party's Delhi president on Sunday. Gupta's decision to step down as the BJP Delhi chief comes after the saffron party's defeat to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the recently-concluded Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections. Senior BJP leaders confirmed that the party's top brass accepted his resignation.
Why does this story matter?
On December 4, the 2022 MCD polls were conducted but recorded a cold response from Delhiites as the voter turnout was 50%. Both the BJP and AAP were involved in an aggressive poll promotion, with the exit polls predicting a clear victory for AAP. With the victory, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP ended BJP's 15-year-long reign of the Delhi civic body.
Virendra Sachdeva to replace Gupta
Per party leaders, vice-president Virendra Sachdeva has been selected as the president in charge until any further notice. "Following the directions of the BJP national president JP Nadda, we accept the resignation of Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta. Till further notice, Virender Sachdeva, Delhi state vice-president, is appointed as president. This will come into force immediately," BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said.
Taking moral responsibility for the defeat: Gupta
Adesh Gupta, while speaking about his resignation, told news agency ANI: "The party did not get the expected results in the MCD elections, taking moral responsibility for the defeat, I have resigned from the post of Delhi BJP President."
Know about Adesh Gupta's political career
After the resignation of Manoj Tiwari in June 2020, JP Nadda officially appointed Gupta as the Delhi BJP president. Gupta started his political career after becoming a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). In April 2018, he was elected mayor after winning the Karol Bagh Zone's West Patel Nagar ward of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).
2022 MCD poll results
As per the Delhi State Election Commission, AAP won 132 seats, and the BJP won 104 seats, ending the saffron party's more than a decade-long civic body dominance. Meanwhile, the Congress candidates underperformed and even lost many seats on which the party was incumbent. AAP scored its maiden MCD win, crossing the majority mark of 125.
