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

- Gargi Shukla and Paras Singh

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%.

11 out of the 12 wards for which the bypolls are being held became vacant earlier this year after their councillors were elected as MLAs. The Dwarka-B seat has been vacant since 2024, when its former councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat was elected as MP West Delhi.