New Delhi (The Hawk): On Sunday, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was able to get Mahabal Mishra to join the party ahead of the impending Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections.
Mahabal Mishra, a recent addition to the Aam Aadmi Party, is a former heavyweight Congress leader who served as a West Delhi-based Congress MP and three-time MLA from the Dwarka assembly district.
At a public event held by Delhi's deputy CM Manish Sisodia and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal in the Paharganj neighbourhood of Delhi, former MP and Congress leader Mahabal Mishra switched parties ahead of the MCD elections.
Notably, Vinay Mishra, an AAP legislator from Dwarka, is the son of Mahabal Mishra, a powerful purvanchali politician in the Congress.
When his son Vinay Mishra switched over to the Aam Admi party ahead of the 2020 Delhi assembly elections and was declared as a candidate by AAP from Dwarka, Mahabal Mishra's affiliation with the Congress party was dissolved back in 2020.
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister, spoke at a public rally earlier today in Paharganj in preparation for the upcoming MCD elections.
In the party manifesto for the elections on December 4, Kejriwal promises that his administration will endeavour to fulfil 10 "guarantees."
Notably, the BJP has been in charge of the civic organisations since 2007.
The BJP won 181 of the 270 wards in the most recent city body elections in 2017. While the Congress had only able to capture 27 wards, the AAP had won 48. Due to the passing of the candidates, voting was not conducted for two seats.
Prior to this, a Ministry of Home Affairs notification caused the total number of civic wards in the national capital to drop from 272 to 250.
On December 4, voting will take place for the 250-ward Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and on December 7, results will be tallied.
(Inputs from Agencies)