By-election to 12 MCD seats on November 30; counting of votes on December 3

THe bye-election to 12 Municipal corp of new delhi (MCD) seats testament be held on nov 30, and the counting of votes on December 3, the State Election Commission (SEC) said on Tuesday. Eleven of the seats fell vacant after councillors were elected to the assembly this year. The Dwarka-B councillor, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, was elected to Parliament from West Delhi last year.The by-election will the first major electoral exercise since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrested power from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi in February.The vacant seats—Shalimar Bagh-B, Greater Kailash, Ashok Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Chandni Mahal, Dwarka-B, Dichaon Kalan, Naraina, Sangam Vihar-A, Dakshin Puri, Mundka, and Vinod Nagar—are spread across the city. They include both general and reserved seats. Nine of the seats were with the BJP and three with the AAP.The SEC said the notification for the by-election will be issued on November 3. Candidates will be able to file their nominations from November 3 to November 10. They can withdraw their candidature until November 15.“The Model Code of Conduct shall come into force in the...[vacant] wards with immediate effect and shall continue to remain in force until the completion of the election process,” the SEC said in a statement.The MCD was divided into 250 municipal wards following the 2022 unification and delimitation. In the polls that year, the AAP won a majority of 134 MCD seats. The BJP bagged 104, and the Congress eight seats.The BJP secured a majority this year following a series of defections and Raja Iqbal was elected the mayor. A section of AAP councillors formed the Indraprastha Vikas Party.The SEC has adopted the electoral roll of the corresponding assembly constituencies for the 12 wards, with January 1 as the qualifying date. “Nominations can be filed with the Returning Officers concerned during the specified period, and the list of polling stations finalised by the Returning Officers has been made available on the Commission’s website,” a SEC official said.The SEC has launched a mobile application (Nigam Chunav Delhi) for the election process. “In a move aimed at improving accessibility and voter convenience, the SEC will offer digital facilities for persons with disabilities and senior citizens (above 85). Through the Nigam Chunav Delhi mobile app, voters can request a wheelchair, assistance, or pick-up and drop facilities on polling day,” the SEC said.