Assembly speaker nominates 14 MLAs to MCD, 11 from BJP, 3 from AAP

New Delhi: Delhi assembly speaker Vijender Gupta on Monday nominated 14 MLAs, of whom 11 are from BJP and three from AAP, as representatives to MCD. They will be a part of the electoral college for the mayoral election of April 29.Among the 11 MLAs from BJP are two AAP defectors. The nominations are for the financial year 2026–27.According to a notification by the Delhi Legislative Assembly secretariat: “The nominations have been made under the provisions of Section 3(3)(b)(iii) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957. The move follows the completion of the tenure of the previously nominated MLAs for 2025–26”. The ratio between the two sides is the same as last year’s.The nominated BJP MLAs are Raj Karan Khatri (Narela), Tilak Ram Gupta (Tri Nagar), Poonam Sharma (Wazirpur), Kailash Gangwal (Madipur), Shyam Sharma (Hari Nagar), Kailash Gahlot (Bijwasan), Kuldeep Solanki (Palam), Umang Bajaj (Rajender Nagar), Satish Upadhyay (Malviya Nagar), Kartar Singh Tanwar (Chhatarpur), and Ravinder Singh Negi (Patparganj). The AAP nominees are Som Dutt (Sadar Bazar), Vishesh Ravi (Karol Bagh), and Virender Singh Kadian (Delhi Cantt).BJP appears to have strengthened its position ahead of the mayoral polls. It has a strength of 142 in the MCD electoral college, including 123 councillors, seven Lok Sabha members, one Rajya Sabha member, and 11 MLAs. AAP has 105 members -- 100 councillors, two Rajya Sabha members, and three MLAs, while Congress has eight councillors.There are also 15 councillors from the Indraprastha Vikas Party, one from the All India Forward Bloc, and one independent member. One seat is vacant.