BJP rides to power in MCD, secures 164 seats in 272-member House

New Delhi, Apr 7 (UNI) The sealing and demolition drive and runaway inflation did the Congress in as the Bharatiya Janata Party rode to power today in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi with a thumping majority in the 272-member House.

After victories in the Punjab and Uttarakhand Assembly polls, the BJP secured 164 seats with the Congress managing to win just 69 seats.

According to the final results in the April 5 polls, declared this evening, the Bahujan Samaj Party had secured 15 seats, the Indian National Lok Dal, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Lok Janshakti Party and the NCP two each and Independents 16 seats.

A buoyant BJP described its win as an offshoot of the faulty policies of the Congress, which led to sealing and demolition over the last one year, as well as to the rise in prices of essential commodities.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma attributed the BJP's win to the people's anger over the inordinate rise in the prices of daily commodities.

BJP Delhi Pradesh president Harshvardhan said the party's huge win was a result of the people constantly living under the fear of sealing and demolition in the last one year.

''This win is a result of the collective efforts of all the BJP workers who have been campaigning for the polls day and night over the last one month,'' Dr Harshvardhan said.

A disappointed Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit accepted the party's defeat and said it was time for ''introspection for the Congress.'' Prominent winners included Leader of the Opposition in the present MCD House Subhash Arya, Mrs Anita Arya Babbar of the Congress, present Mayor Farhad Suri, Congress rebel Deepika Khullar (as Independent from the Anarkali ward), BJP leader Vijender Gupta and Congress leader Ajit Chaudhry.

Addressing a press conference here, Delhi State election commissioner S P Marwah expressed satisfaction over the smooth passage of the election process.

He, however, expressed disappontment over the low turnout in the polls.

''It is unfortunate that only 43 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise,''Mr Marwah said.

On the repolling in ten polling booths spread over four wards which was held yesterday, the first time a repoll was held in MCD polls, Mr Marwah said repolling had to be called because a huge crowd of people had entered the booths and damaged the electronic voting machines.

Mr Marwah said the lowest margin of victory was in Dilshad Garden where Mr Ajit Chaudhry of the Congress won by just two votes while the biggest margin was in Rohini where BJP leader Vijender Gupta won by 9200 votes.

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