Vote to make 'corruption-free MCD govt': Arvind Kejriwal as polling begins for civic polls in Delhi

This is the first civic election in Delhi after the fresh delimitation exercise and is largely being seen as a three-way contest among Arvind Kejriwal's AAP, the BJP and the Congress.

New Delhi: As voting began for the high-stakes civic polls in Delhi on Sunday (December 4, 2022), Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked people to vote to make a "corruption-free MCD government". Taking to his official Twitter account, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief also urged voters to cast their votes "to make Delhi clean and beautiful".

"Today there is voting to make Delhi clean and beautiful, there is voting to make a corruption free government in the Municipal Corporation. My appeal to all the Delhiites - do go to cast your vote today to form an honest and working government in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

साफ़-स्वच्छ और सुंदर दिल्ली बनाने के लिए आज मतदान है, नगर निगम में एक भ्रष्टाचार मुक्त सरकार बनाने के लिए मतदान है।

सभी दिल्लीवासियों से मेरी अपील- दिल्ली नगर निगम में एक ईमानदार और काम करने वाली सरकार बनाने के लिए आज अपना वोट डालने ज़रूर जाएँ।

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 4, 2022

The polling for civic polls in Delhi began at 8 am amid tight security arrangements across the city. Over 1.45 crore electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the elections to the 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the results of which will be announced on December 7.

This is the first civic election after the fresh delimitation exercise and is largely being seen as a three-way contest among the AAP, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Both the AAP and the BJP have exuded confidence that they will emerge victorious in the polls while the Congress is seeking to regain lost turf.

There were 272 wards in Delhi and three corporations -- NDMC, SDMC and EDMC -- from 2012-2022, before being reunified into an MCD that had formally come into existence on May 22.
The erstwhile MCD, established in 1958, was trifurcated in 2012 during Sheila Dikshit's tenure as the chief minister.

Earlier in the 2017 MCD elections, the BJP had won 181 of the 270 wards. Polling could not be held on two seats due to the death of candidates. The AAP had won 48 wards and the Congress 27.