BJP leader Raja Iqbal Singh elected Delhi mayor
What's the story
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Raja Iqbal Singh, a former Akali Dal leader, has been elected as the new mayor of Delhi.
He received 133 votes against Congress candidate Mandeep Singh's eight.
The Aam Aadmi Party boycotted the elections, alleging that "the BJP did a lot of rigging during the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections."
Singh joined the BJP amid the 2020-21 farmers' protests after the Akali Dal had pulled out of its NDA alliance opposing the farm reforms.
Seats
BJP regains control of MCD
With the victory, the BJP has regained control of the MCD after two years.
Currently, the MCD has 238 seats; 12 are vacant as several councillors were elected to the Delhi Assembly and one to the Lok Sabha.
Of the total 250 seats, the BJP currently has 117 councillors, up from 104 in 2022; AAP's total has dropped to 113, from 134. There are just eight seats held by the Congress.
Political shift
Singh's transition to BJP and rise
At present, Singh is the Leader of the Opposition in the MCD.
He formerly served as the Mayor of North MCD. He is also a former Civil Line Zone Ward Committee chairman and Mukherjee Nagar Ward 13 councillor.
According to IE, Singh's father-in-law was the councillor of GTB Nagar, and his brother remains actively engaged in Akali politics.
BJP
Delhi's biggest issue is cleanliness: Singh
After the BJP nominated his name, Singh said that Delhi's development would begin soon with a "triple-engine" government.
"This is the win of Delhi's public that was fed up with the AAP government. Now, a triple-engine government will be formed... Lotus will bloom in the entire civic center," he said.
He added that Delhi's biggest issue is cleanliness.
"We will work on educational facilities and primary health centers and try to maintain hygiene at all settlements," he said.