IVP Merges with BJP: 16 Councillors Join, BJP Now Holds 139 Seats in MCD

The Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP), a breakaway faction of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. All 16 IVP councillors joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra, taking the BJP's strength in the 250-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House to 139.

Ms. Gupta stated that residents of the wards represented by these councillors would now fully benefit from the development initiatives of Delhi's 'triple-engine government'—a term referring to BJP rule at the Centre, state, and municipal levels.

The IVP was formed in May last year after 13 councillors, led by Mukesh Goyal and Hemchand Goyal, resigned from AAP, citing disillusionment with AAP's leadership. Subsequently, three more councillors joined the IVP, bringing its total to 16.

IVP chief Mukesh Goyal explained the merger: 'Although the party maintained cordial relations with the BJP, the councillors and their supporters eventually realised that by remaining a separate party, they were unable to ensure that their wards fully benefited from the all-round development being undertaken under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.'

In response, AAP's Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged, 'We knew the BJP was behind this entire operation. Today, the mask has finally come off IVP.' He did not provide specific evidence for the claim.

Meanwhile, three IVP leaders were among those nominated on Friday for the posts of chairman and deputy chairman of the 12 ward committees and for membership of the Standing Committee, ahead of the July 15 elections. These nominations are part of the process leading up to the committee elections.

The merger significantly bolsters the BJP's position in the MCD ahead of the upcoming committee elections, while reducing the presence of AAP-aligned factions in the house.