MCD bypolls see 39% turnout, results on Dec 3

The municipal corporation byelections on Sunday across 12 wards in Delhi saw an estimated voter turnout of only 39%, according to data from the state election commission.

- Gargi Shukla and Paras Singh

The EVMs have been moved to strong rooms and the votes will be counted on December 3, officials said.

At 5.30pm, when the polls closed, 38.51% of the 700,000 eligible voters people had cast their vote, data showed. Among the 12 wards where polling was held, Chandni Mahal recorded the highest turnout at 55.93% followed by Mundka at 44.5% and Sangam Vihar-A (44.4%) while the Greater Kailash ward registered the lowest turnout at 26.7%.

Shalimar Bagh-B, which was vacated by Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta after she was elected as an MLA, the turnout stood at 37.53%.

Voting began at 7.30 am to a sluggish start with only a 5.4% at 9:30 am, increasing to only 12.63% by 11:30 am, 21.84% at 1:30pm and 31.13% by 3.30pm. To be sure, voting during MCD elections is generally poor and the last elections in 2022 recorded a turnout of 50.48%. In comparison, the Delhi 2025 assembly elections saw turnout of 60.54% and 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw turnout of 58.78%.