<p>New Delhi: AAP on Thursday defeated the BJP in the yearly Mayor election in Delhi with its candidate Mahesh Khichi crossing the hurdle with a wafer-thin margin to helm the civic affairs of the capital for a truncated period of five months.</p><p>Khichi bagged 133 of 265 votes polled while his BJP rival Kishan Lal got 130 while two votes were declared invalid. BJP leaders claimed eight AAP councillors cross-voted while two votes -- a BJP councillor and an AAP councillor -- were declared invalid.</p><p>Congress councillors boycotted the voting citing that the Mayor, whose tenure was reserved for Dalits this year, was truncated to just five months due to inability to hold elections in April this year.</p><p>However, a Congress councillor Sabila Begum dramatically announced her resignation from her party and joined AAP voting for Khichi.</p><p>After its defeat in the Mayor election, BJP withdrew its candidate Nita Bisht from the Deputy Mayor polls, leading to AAP's Ravinder Bharadwaj getting elected to the post unopposed. </p>.Delhi pollution sparks another war of words between AAP, BJP as air quality remains 'very poor' .<p>AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal congratulated Khichi for his victory and said on 'X', "work diligently for the people, take forward the good work being done" in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).</p><p>As per law, the tenure of a Mayor in Delhi is one year and elections are held every year in the MCD to choose one. The first year is reserved for women while the third year is earmarked for a Dalit and second, fourth and fifth year are unreserved.</p><p>AAP's Shelly Oberoi was chosen as Mayor twice consecutively.</p><p>Earlier in the day, Congress councillors rushed into the Well of the MCD House raising their protest against a truncated tenure for a Dalit Mayor. They raised slogans against the AAP, calling it "anti-Dalit", while the latter chanted slogans in favour of Kejriwal. </p>
<p>New Delhi: AAP on Thursday defeated the BJP in the yearly Mayor election in Delhi with its candidate Mahesh Khichi crossing the hurdle with a wafer-thin margin to helm the civic affairs of the capital for a truncated period of five months.</p><p>Khichi bagged 133 of 265 votes polled while his BJP rival Kishan Lal got 130 while two votes were declared invalid. BJP leaders claimed eight AAP councillors cross-voted while two votes -- a BJP councillor and an AAP councillor -- were declared invalid.</p><p>Congress councillors boycotted the voting citing that the Mayor, whose tenure was reserved for Dalits this year, was truncated to just five months due to inability to hold elections in April this year.</p><p>However, a Congress councillor Sabila Begum dramatically announced her resignation from her party and joined AAP voting for Khichi.</p><p>After its defeat in the Mayor election, BJP withdrew its candidate Nita Bisht from the Deputy Mayor polls, leading to AAP's Ravinder Bharadwaj getting elected to the post unopposed. </p>.Delhi pollution sparks another war of words between AAP, BJP as air quality remains 'very poor' .<p>AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal congratulated Khichi for his victory and said on 'X', "work diligently for the people, take forward the good work being done" in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).</p><p>As per law, the tenure of a Mayor in Delhi is one year and elections are held every year in the MCD to choose one. The first year is reserved for women while the third year is earmarked for a Dalit and second, fourth and fifth year are unreserved.</p><p>AAP's Shelly Oberoi was chosen as Mayor twice consecutively.</p><p>Earlier in the day, Congress councillors rushed into the Well of the MCD House raising their protest against a truncated tenure for a Dalit Mayor. They raised slogans against the AAP, calling it "anti-Dalit", while the latter chanted slogans in favour of Kejriwal. </p>
