New Delhi: BJP is poised to strengthen its position in zonal committee elections of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) after 16 councillors of Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP), a breakaway faction of Aam Aadmi Part (AAP), formally merged with the saffron party Friday.On the last day of filing nominations for the posts of chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of 12 MCD zonal committees, AAP fielded candidates for the posts of 11 chairpersons. BJP, too, fielded 11 candidates for the position of chairpersons, among them three from IVP who will contest in West, Rohini and City Sadar-Paharganj zones. Another former IVP councillor will fight for the post of a standing committee member from Central Zone.The 16 members of IVP, which was formed in May 2025 following differences within the AAP brass over the functioning of the corporation, joined BJP at the party headquarters in the presence of chief minister Rekha Gupta and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra.With their induction, BJP’s strength in the 250-member civic body has increased to 139, giving it a clear majority. AAP’s tally has dropped to 99 from the 134 councillors it had after winning the 2022 MCD elections.AAP alleged that the merger confirmed its long-standing claim that BJP had engineered the defection of its councillors to retain control of MCD, adding that IVP was floated only to mask BJP’s role in the defection.Currently, BJP enjoys a majority in seven — Keshav Puram, Narela, Central, Najafgarh, Civil Lines, Shahdara South and Shahdara North — of the 12 MCD zones. AAP holds a majority in four: Karol Bagh, West, Rohini and City Sadar-Paharganj. However, except for Karol Bagh, its majority is wafer-thin.South Zone is expected to witness the closest contest. The death of an AAP councillor from Ward No. 150 has reduced the party’s strength, leaving both BJP and AAP with 10 councillors each. Congress, which has nine councillors in MCD, could play a decisive role in South and Rohini zones as it has two councillors in each.Welcoming the former IVP councillors, CM Gupta said they will receive “full respect” within BJP and the opportunity to serve the people.Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra said the merger reflected the desire of the 16 councillors to align themselves with BJP govt’s development agenda under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the move will help connect residents of their wards with govt’s development initiatives.Former IVP chief Mukesh Goyal, now in BJP, criticised AAP’s civic administration, saying his tenure as leader of the house in the corporation when he was in AAP was marked by a lack of development and political infighting. He alleged that governance had suffered at that time because of internal conflicts. Goyal is a six-time municipal councillor whose political career has taken him to Congress, AAP, IVP and now BJP.Ankush Narang of AAP, who is leader of the opposition in MCD, said that the party will contest the coming elections with complete unity. He expressed confidence that AAP candidates will perform strongly in the ward committees and standing committee elections, claiming that previous AAP chairpersons had delivered effective governance despite facing obstacles. He also accused BJP of mismanaging Delhi.Mayor Pravesh Wahi said that BJP, after coming to office, has been ensuring that all MCD statutory committees are constituted on time, unlike during AAP’s tenure, when neither the standing committee nor ward committees were formed. This delayed civic governance and development, he claimed.