MCD polls 2017: All five Muslim candidates fielded by BJP lose

Delhi: The BJP may have swept the Delhi municipal elections but the five Muslim candidates that the party fielded lost in their respective wards.

Incidentally, all the areas were dominated by Muslims.

The saffron party had fielded six Muslim candidates in Delhi.

Out of them, only five contested the polls because one of the nominations was cancelled by the Election Commission, as per Hindustan Times.

BJP had given gave ticket to Rubina, 52, daughter of a sitting councillor Hoor Bano from Quresh Nagar.

She lost to sister of Imran Ismail, whose family has won the Quresh Nagar seat thrice.

Others who lost are Kunwar Rafi from Zakir Nagar, Sartaj Ahmed from Chauhan Banger, Sabra Malik from Mustafabad, and Faimuddin Saifi from Delhi Gate.

Kunwar lost to Shoaib Danish. He won Zakir Nagar ward for the third time. 

They all lost to Muslim contestants.

The BJP was on Wednesday retained the three municipal corporations in the national capital for the third term in a row, handing a humiliating defeat to the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP and the Congress.

While the BJP credited its continued electoral success to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the AAP reiterated its allegations that EVMs were rigged in favour of the BJP - an accusation it has been levelling since its defeat in Punjab and Goa assembly polls. 

The Congress drubbing saw its Delhi unit Chief Ajay Maken announcing his resignation from the post owning up moral responsibility for the defeat, while veteran party leader and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit put the onus of defeat squarely on local leaders.

The AAP's defeat comes more than two years after the Delhi Assembly elections where it humiliated the BJP, winning 67 of the 70 Delhi assembly polls.

(With IANS inputs)