Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta resigns days after MCD defeat; Virendra Sachdeva appointed acting president

New Delhi: Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta resigned on Sunday, days after the party's defeat in the municipal corporation polls to the Aam Aadmi Party. The BJP's Delhi unit vice president Virendra Sachdeva has been appointed acting president.

"The resignation of Adesh Gupta as Delhi BJP president is being accepted as per the direction of BJP national president Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda. Delhi unit vice president Virendra Sachdeva is being appointed working state unit chief till the next order," the BJP's national general secretary Arun Singh said in an order.

The Aam Aadmi Party ended the BJP's 15-year rule in the Municipal of Delhi (MCD) poll in results announced on Wednesday. The AAP won the elections with 134 seats, while the BJP bagged 104.

Earlier on Friday, Gupta had said that the MCD mayor will be from the AAP and the BJP will play the role of a "strong opposition", ending speculation over the saffron party staking a claim on the mayor's post despite losing the civic polls.

Gupta added that the BJP councillors would resist if the AAP indulged in corruption at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and work for the city's people as Opposition.

Several BJP leaders had earlier hinted that the party might go for the mayor's post despite losing the civic polls.

Hints dropped by other party leaders, including Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Tajinder Pal Bagga, also gave rise to speculation that the BJP might go for the mayor's post.

It was further buttressed by the example of Chandigarh where the AAP had earlier this year emerged as the single-largest party by winning 14 of the 35 wards in the municipal polls but the BJP secured the mayor's post.

The MCD mayor is elected by all 250 councillors in the House, seven Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs from the city, and 14 MLAs nominated by the speaker of the Delhi Assembly.

Gupta thanked the people of Delhi and party activists and leaders after it bagged 104 wards despite anti-incumbency. The BJP had ruled the MCD -- trifurcated in 2012 into north, south and east corporations and unified this year -- for 15 years.

Gupta said the BJP secured around 40 per cent of the votes, losing by just over 2 percentage points.

"In 2017, the BJP got 36.08 per cent of the votes in the municipal corporation elections; this time we got 39.09 per cent. This shows that there is an increase in the number of votes by 3 per cent," he said.