BJP triumphant, AAP defiant: MCD results prove it is Modi wave not EVM wave

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) amassed an impressive tally in the crucial Delhi MCD elections 2017 on Wednesday, roundly defeating its two rivals, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress Party. The results come three days after voting took place in 270 wards across the three civic bodies - North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. The overall turnout was recorded at 54 per cent, almost the same as the 2012 elections.

Scoring a hat-trick, BJP won 184 seats dealing a severe blow to the AAP and crushing Congress' hope for revival. While the AAP was spurned by the result and lashed out at the Election Commission for not ensuring that the polls were conducted impartially, Congress Party accepted defeat gracefully. 

Here are top 10 highlights of recently MCD election result 2017:

1. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the clear winner in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections with 184 seats in its kitty, bettering its existing strength of 138.

2. BJP party supporters did not break into a rapturous celebration, as is the normal practice, due to the Monday killing of 25 CRPF men in Chhattisgarh. There were no bursting of crackers at the Delhi BJP office at Pandit Pant Marg since morning, or dancing to tune of drumbeats by party workers and supporters, or splashing of colour and distribution of sweets.

3. The BJP has called AAP a poor loser. "The same EVMs gave them 67 of 70 seats in the Assembly election. That time it was fine but now you have lost, there is problem with EVMs," said Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu. The party's Shazia Ilmi, a former member of AAP, said "Kejriwal is a drama queen." A poster outside Delhi BJP office said 'Delhi vasiyo badhai, Kejriwal ki hesiyat batai' (congratulations citizens of Delhi, put Kejriwal in place).

4. In comparison to 2015 assembly polls, the vote share of the AAP decreased almost by half from 54.3% to 26.21% in the 2017 municipal polls. The party was already reeling from humiliating losses in the Punjab and Goa assembly elections last month.

5. The Congress continued on its losing streak in Delhi as it suffered a humiliating defeat in the MCD elections on Wednesday, ending in the third position. It had hoped for a revival. The party had won no seat in the 2015 assembly election in Delhi, nor a single parliament seat from the state a year before that.

The Congress could only win 30 wards in the three municipal corporations, but has increased its vote share from about 9 per cent in the 2015 assembly elections to 21 per cent on Wednesday. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor congratulated the party by tweeting, "Congress for vast improvement from 9.6 per cent in 2015. Revival has begun."

6. Both the Congress' Delhi chief Ajay Maken and the party's central leader in charge of Delhi, PC Chacko resigned on Wednesday owning responsibility for the party's poor performance. Mr Chacko said he was unable to fashion a comeback for the party and suggested that the Congress ascertain the reasons for its defeat in Delhi and redefine its future strategy. 

7. Arvind Kejriwal had earlier on Monday stayed defiant after exit polls predicted a BJP sweep in the civic polls. He had then said that he would launch a ‘movement’ if the exit poll results came out to be true. However, on Wednesday Kejriwal refrained from mentioning EVMs and struck a conciliatory note. He had earlier alleged that the EVMs had been tampered with. 

8. AAP leaders called MCD election result "EVM wave" and not "Modi ". One of them, labour minister Gopal Rai said that the BJP had won because of an “EVM wave”, not because of a ‘Modi wave’.

"The BJP is working for the past 10 years with the MCD. That party has done nothing but spread corruption, Dengue, Chikungunya and pollution. Despite of that the number of seats BJP has got is not believable. We will do analysis of the reason behind our defeat,” Sisodia said.

9. MCD will be full of new faces. Ahead of the MCD elections, BJP had given out tickets to new candidates instead of sitting corporators—a tactic that PM Narendra Modi had used in Gujarat when he was the state’s chief minister. The gamble clearly has paid off.

10. In 2012 the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated into three smaller municipal corporations. The new North Delhi Municipal Corporation and South Delhi Municipal Corporation each contain 104 municipal wards, the smaller East Delhi Municipal Corporation contains 64 wards.