New Delhi: Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reclaimed control of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has appointed Ranjeet Nagar councillor Ankush Narang as the Leader of Opposition in the civic body.
The appointment was formally communicated by AAP Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj in a letter to the MCD Secretary on Tuesday. “Ankush Narang, Municipal Councillor from Ward No 87 (Ranjeet Nagar), has been chosen to be appointed as Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi,” the letter stated.
Narang’s elevation comes at a crucial political moment, following the BJP’s recent victory in the MCD Mayoral polls. BJP’s Raja Iqbal Singh defeated Congress candidate Mandeep Singh by a margin of 125 votes to become the new Mayor of Delhi. AAP, notably, did not participate in the election, choosing instead to boycott both the mayoral and deputy mayoral contests by not fielding any candidates.
The BJP now holds a strengthened position in the 250-member House with 117 councillors, improving its 2022 tally of 104. AAP’s strength has dropped from 134 to 113 seats, while the Congress remains a marginal player with just eight councillors.
Ankush Narang, a first-time councillor from Ranjeet Nagar, will now be tasked with leading AAP’s voice in the civic body amid shifting political dynamics. His appointment signals AAP’s intent to maintain an active presence in the MCD despite ceding administrative control to the BJP.