Candidates dead, polling postponed in two wards

New Delhi: Due to the death of two candidates, municipal elections on the two wards in the national capital have been postponed, an official said on Sunday. The two wards are Maujpur in East Delhi and Sarai Pipal in North Delhi. Both candidates belonged to the Samajwadi Party.

“Elections to the two wards have been postponed. While polling in Maujpur will be held on 14 May, in Sarai Pipal it will take place on 21 May,” a senior official of Delhi State Election Commission said.

When contacted, Delhi SP spokesperson R.S. Yadav said, “Both the candidates were aged between 40 to 45 years. While our Maujpur candidate was a woman who died a natural death, our Sarai Pipal candidate was a man who died from shock.” Mr Yadav, however, said this setback will not affect the performance of the party in the high-stakes elections, for which the SP had fronted its big leaders as star campaigners. “We are hopeful of winning 15 out of the 28 seats,” the SP leader said. Out of the total 272 wards, the NDMC and the SDMC have 104 seats each while the EDMC has 64.

The MCD has been ruled by the BJP for the last ten years.