Delhi civic polls: BJP wooing rebels to gain power in south

New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Nine seats short of the majority mark in south Delhi corporation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now trying hard to woo party rebels who won as independents from the area as well as councillors from smaller parties.

Of the 104 wards in the south, BJP won in 44, while independents bagged 14 seats. The Congress secured 30 seats, and the Bahujan Samaj Party and Nationalist Congress Party each won five seats. The BJP swept the elections in the north and east corporations where it defeated the Congress by huge margins.

"Talks are on between BJP rebels in the south Delhi wards and senior party leaders. We are hopeful that allies will also join us," a senior party leader said Wednesday.

The party is also eyeing smaller parties such as Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which bagged three seats and Janata Dal (United) which won one ward.

Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta is leading the negotiations, sources said.

The party also lost seats due to rebels in south Delhi areas - Lajpat Nagar, Kotla, Andrews Ganj and Munirka with rebels pulling down the party nominees.

"BJP suffered great damage due to rebels. There are wards where BJP had always been winning, but because of rebels standing this time, we lost," the party leader added.

The BJP bagged 138 seats of total 272 wards in the civic polls held Sunday for the trifurcated Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The Congress, which is in power in Delhi, won 77 seats, bagging 10 more seats than the 67 it got in 2007. The BJP had 164 councillors in the undivided MCD.