Delhi MCD Election 2022: Polling dates, results, wards - All you need to know

Delhi MCD Election 2022: The state election commission has announced the election schedule for the 250-ward Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which is currently being ruled by the BJP. The polling will be held on December 4 and the results will be declared on December 7, 2022. This will be the first civic election after the fresh delimitation exercise. The high-stakes poll will be held in the gap between the two phases of the Gujarat Assembly elections, scheduled for December 1 and 5.

Delhi civic polls, originally scheduled to be held in the first half of 2022, were postponed after the Centre decided to unify three erstwhile municipal corporations into the MCD. Of the 250 wards, 42 seats are reserved for SC candidates, 21 seats for women SC candidates, and 104 seats will be reserved for women candidates. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is November 19, 2022.

Here’s the full schedule of MCD polls:

• Issue of notification: November 7
• Last date of filing nomination: November 14
• Scrutiny of nomination: November 16
• Last date for withdrawal of candidate: November 19
• Date of polls: December 4
• Counting of votes: December 7
• Completion of the entire election process: December 15

MCD Wards

The three existing civic bodies - East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) - have been re-unified into a single entity as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The MCD, one of the largest municipal bodies in the world, provides civic services to approximately 20 million citizens of Delhi, according to its website. It occupies an area of 1397.3 sq km which is sub-divided into 12 Zones i.e. Centre, South, West, Najafgarh, Rohini, Civil Lines, Karol Bagh, SP-City, Keshavpuram, Narela, Shahdara North and Shahdara South.

The total number of MCD wards in Delhi was reduced from 272 to 250 following a notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). In May this year, the Centre unified the three corporations into one. Of the total 250 wards, 42 are reserved. The BJP ruled the erstwhile three municipal corporations for over 15 years.

MCD Candidates

Around 1.46 crore people are expected to cast their votes for 250 municipal wards in the national capital. A total of 2,021 candidates have filed their nomination papers with the poll authorities for the upcoming civic elections in Delhi. Of the total nominations, independent candidates have the maximum share with 507 candidates, followed by AAP with 492 candidates. Three major parties -- the AAP, BJP and the Congress -- will go up against each other in the upcoming civic elections.

Among the other parties, 423 candidates have filed their papers for the BJP, 334 from the Congress, 149 from the Bahujan Samaj Party, 31 from JD(U), 20 from AIMIM, and nine from the CPI(M).

The poll authorities have reportedly received 2,585 nominations from 2,021 candidates. It further added that of the total nominations received, 1,462 are from women and 1,123 from men.

How parties fared in 2017

In 2017, the BJP had won 181 of 272 seats with a 36 per cent vote share while the AAP, which was contesting for the first time, got 49 wards with 26.23 per cent vote share - more than the Congress which could manage only 21 per cent votes and 31 seats. In 2012, the Congress had got 77 seats while 138 had gone to the BJP.

(With inputs from agencies)