New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will hold elections for the post of mayor on April 29, sources said. An official notification is likely to be issued on April 15 in this regard. The nomination filing process will start from April 16 while the last date for filing nominations will be April 23.Officials said elections for the deputy mayor and three vacant seats in the standing committee would also be conducted on April 29 itself.BJP is likely to finalise its candidates for mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee posts in a joint meeting to be held soon. Last year, AAP stayed away from the mayoral contest.The mayoral post in Delhi follows a rotational system of five one-year terms—first reserved for women, second for the general category, third for a reserved category, and the remaining two for the general category. This year’s election will be the fifth under the current cycle. However, given that the last MCD elections were held in Dec 2022 and mayoral polls are conducted at the beginning of each financial year, there is a possibility of a sixth mayor assuming office within five year’s ongoing term of MCD.In the first three terms, AAP councillors held the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. In the fourth term, BJP councillor Raja Iqbal Singh won the mayoral election following AAP’s boycott, helping BJP regain control of MCD after a two-year gap in 2025–26.This year, the electoral college comprises 249 councillors, 14 MLAs nominated by Delhi Assembly, seven Lok Sabha MPs and three Rajya Sabha members. A candidate will require 137 votes to win.BJP holds 141 votes, including 123 councillors, seven Lok Sabha MPs and 11 MLAs, while AAP has 106 votes, comprising 100 councillors, three Rajya Sabha members and three MLAs. Other votes include Congress (9), Indraprastha Vikas Party (15), one from All India Forward Bloc, one Independent member and one vacant seat.
