The Delhi mayoral elections held on Thursday had all the signs of being a precursor to the Assembly polls in the Capital scheduled for early 2025, with the results coming as a cautious warning to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that has been struggling with internal discontent.

A lot was at stake for the AAP in this mayoral election. Since AAP supremo and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest in the now-scrapped excise policy case, at least 10 councillors have defected to the BJP. Two of them have since rejoined the AAP. Alongside this, AAP councillors have been facing public ire over civic issues.

The contest ended up seeing a razor-thin finish. Of the 265 votes cast, the AAP secured 133, while the BJP obtained 130 votes. Two votes were declared invalid. In a major blow to the AAP, the party saw cross-voting as 10 of its votes shifted to the BJP.

Despite the cross-voting that exposed the fissures within its unit, the AAP sees the mayoral victory as “crucial” in keeping its flock together. “Had we lost, it would have created a rift among the councillors and made it very difficult to regain control (of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi) from the BJP,” said a senior AAP leader.

In his first address to party councillors after being released from jail in the excise case, Kejriwal had even acknowledged the internal discontent within the AAP. “Everyone is unhappy, ” he said at the time.

“Those who did not get a ticket are unhappy. Those who got a ticket are unhappy. After getting the ticket, they fought elections. Those who lost are unhappy, and those who won are also unhappy. The winners want MLA tickets and the MLAs want ministerial posts. Even ministers are unhappy,” Kejriwal quipped, drawing laughter from the gathered councillors.

The remark aside, AAP councillors said their discontent with their party stems from several causes. One, councillors allege that local MLAs are “neglecting” their requests on matters of civic importance and “being unapproachable”.

Similar frustrations exist at the mandal level. Addressing mandal in-charges on October 19, Kejriwal urged party leaders to stay united despite differences. “You might not like your MLA, but that is okay. Do not focus on the MLA or the candidate. Just look at me, Kejriwal. I will contest all 70 seats,” he said.

Many AAP councillors are also seeking Assembly seats, either for themselves or for family members. At least three councillors are expected to receive tickets, sources said, further straining the internal dynamics of the party.

Asked about the cross-voting after winning the mayoral seat, newly elected Mayor Mahesh Khichi said, “A victory is a victory. It does not matter if it’s by one vote or three. Our councillors are not straying from the party. Small disagreements exist in every party. Our focus now is to address the issues in Delhi before the elections and continue our good work once the polls conclude.”

The BJP does not see Thursday’s result as a “complete defeat”. Raja Iqbal Singh, the BJP’s Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, said: “We were already in a minority, so we do not consider this a battle we lost. Winning this election was not our target. Our only target was getting a Dalit Mayor. When the councillors are fed up, their mood changes towards the party, leading to this kind of cross-voting.”

BJP councillors had even arrived almost an hour late on polling day. Party sources attributed this to “strategising”, though many admitted that the BJP was not fully invested in a win, preferring to avoid civic responsibilities that could become burdensome ahead of the Assembly polls.

“The mayor is only going to serve for four to five months. It’s not worth the effort since it would add to our workload before the Assembly elections. Our councillors can dodge civic issues by pointing out that our government is not in power,” a BJP leader said.

BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “There is discontent within the AAP. Let us see how long they (AAP) can hold onto the corporation. Without anyone leaving the party, 10 are voting against them … Imagine the scenario if they lose the Assembly elections.”

The corporation currently lacks a standing committee, an 18-member body controlling the corporation’s finances, without which it cannot approve proposals exceeding Rs 5 crore. The AAP has eight of the 18 seats, while the BJP has nine. The election for the final seat remains unresolved due to an ongoing legal dispute. If the court rules in BJP’s favour, the AAP’s hold on the corporation could weaken further. Even if the AAP wins, the 9-9 split will still complicate decision-making.