The Congress on Saturday said it will support its INDIA bloc ally Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi mayoral elections, The Hindu reported.

The polls for the post of mayor and deputy mayor will take place in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on April 26.

The Congress has nine councillors in the 250-member House. The Aam Aadmi Party has a clear majority with 134 members. The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has 104 councillors.

“Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely has directed the Congress councillors to vote for the AAP candidates, as Congress did not want a repeat of what happened during the Chandigarh mayoral polls, which the Supreme Court later cancelled due to the malpractice committed by the presiding officer,” the Hindustan Times quoted Delhi Congress leader Anil Bharadwaj as saying.

Bharadwaj added that the Congress wants to ensure the smooth functioning of the national capital’s civic body for the greater good of citizens and hence it is supporting the Aam Aadmi Party, which is the largest party in the Delhi Municipal Corporation.

“The AAP is also an INDIA [bloc] partner and is contesting the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Congress,” he said. “Congress’ fight is to protect the Constitution and democracy, which the BJP was trying to undermine with all its might.”

The decision was welcomed by the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday.

“This shows that we will collectively fight against the dictatorship and the corruption of the BJP,” Aam Aadmi Party MLA Durgesh Pathak said.

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