The Aam Aadmi Party has announced its candidates for the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) mayoral elections on April 26. Mahesh Khichi has been nominated for the position of mayor, while Ravinder Bhardwaj will contest for the role of deputy mayor. 45-year-old Khichi currently serves as the representative of Dev Nagar ward number 84 in the MCD House and has been affiliated with the AAP since its establishment in 2012. He has also been actively involved in the 2011 India Against Corruption (IAC) movement, which eventually paved the way for the formation of the AAP under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal.
"Considering his contribution to the party, he was fielded as candidate from Dev Nagar ward. He won, and in the last one year, he has worked diligently with the people on the ground. Considering all of this, the party has decided to make him the mayoral candidate for the upcoming term," Delhi AAP convener Gopal Rai said at a press conference.
Who is Mahesh Khichi?
Kichi has campaigned for the AAP in many elections, including those in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. He has also served as booth president, ward president and RWA president of Karol Bagh. The Dev Nagar ward falls under the Karol Bagh assembly constituency. Earlier in the day, Kichi and Bhardwaj filed their nomination papers for the polls. Opposition BJP in the MCD House is yet to announce its candidates for the polls.
Who is Ravinder Bhardwaj?
Bhardwaj too has been associated with the AAP since its inception and was part of the anti-corruption IAC movement. He is a second-time councillor from Aman Vihar ward number 41, which falls under the Kirari assembly constituency. He had joined the AAP as a local in-charge. He has served as a booth president and mandal president. Bhardwaj has also been a member of the North MCD standing committee (2019-2021) and member of the working committee and appointment committee.
MCD mayoral polls 2024
This year, the MCD mayor is being elected from the reserved category of councillors. The post of mayor sees five single-year terms on a rotation basis, with the first year being reserved for women, the second for the open category, third for reserved category, and the remaining two again for the open category. With 134 councillors in the 250-member MCD House, the AAP expects both its candidates to get elected to their respective posts with ease. BJP has 104 councillors. The AAP-led MCD is currently being headed by Mayor Shelly Oberoi and Deputy Mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal.
(With PTI inputs)
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