Campaigning concludes for high-stakes bypolls

Campaigning for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bypolls in 12 wards ended on Friday, with the BJP, AAP and Congress mounting high-energy rallies, roadshows and press briefings in a final effort to sway voters ahead of polling on November 30. Over the past week, all three parties criss-crossed the city with aggressive outreach, each claiming strong public backing and projecting contrasting narratives on governance, development and civic issues.

The BJP concluded its campaign with a string of high-impact roadshows in several wards, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and senior party leaders. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said public sentiment had shifted in the party’s favour due to visible improvements in sewer cleaning, power and water supply, road maintenance, Yamuna cleaning and DTC services. He criticised AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal for skipping the campaign altogether, calling it a “silent acceptance of defeat”.

Rekha Gupta, who campaigned in Chandni Chowk, Ashok Vihar and Shalimar Bagh, said that while voters knew the bypolls would not alter the MCD’s power balance, they still wanted to give the BJP a clear mandate. Senior leaders including Praveen Khandelwal, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Vishnu Mittal joined the party’s final outreach.

In several wards, BJP MPs and MLAs campaigned for party candidates, stressing their clean image and accusing AAP of fielding tainted nominees and misusing money power.

The Aam Aadmi Party countered with an equally aggressive campaign led by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Atishi. AAP framed the bypolls as a referendum on the BJP’s nine-month rule in Delhi.

Sanjay Singh, campaigning in Naraina alongside Durgesh Pathak, said public anger against the BJP had “peaked” and that Delhiites regretted the “mistake made nine months ago”. He accused the administration of plunging the city into unprecedented pollution, permitting steep private school fee hikes and bringing back long power cuts after years of stable supply under AAP.

Atishi, campaigning in Naraina and Shalimar Bagh, said residents wanted to “wipe out the BJP” and return to Arvind Kejriwal’s governance model. Recalling AAP’s earlier work in Pandav Nagar, she said local roads, parks and civic amenities had improved notably when AAP represented the area. The bypolls, she said, offered voters a chance for “course correction”.

Meanwhile, the Congress continued to attack both parties, holding consecutive rallies and press conferences. At a briefing on Friday, Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav urged people to reject the “politics of lies and corruption” and refocus on issues such as pollution, broken infrastructure, contaminated water, stalled pensions and deteriorating law and order.

With campaigning now over, attention shifts to Sunday’s vote, which, although not altering the MCD’s power structure, is seen as an important political test for all three parties ahead of forthcoming civic and Assembly contests.