Aam Aadmi Party councillor Mahesh Khinchi was on Thursday elected the new mayor of Delhi by a narrow margin, securing 133 votes against the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate’s 130.

A total of 265 votes were cast in the polls, of which two were declared invalid.

Khinchi, who represents the Dev Nagar ward in Delhi’s Karol Bagh area, will be Delhi’s third mayor from the Scheduled Caste community. He takes over from the Aam Aadmi Party’s previous mayor Shelly Oberoi.

Khinchi’s tenure will be brief, concluding in April 2025 due to delays that postponed the mayoral election that was initially scheduled to take place earlier this year.

The mayoral contest saw participation from senior leaders of both the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP, including Aam Aadmi Party MPs Sanjay Singh and ND Gupta, and all seven BJP MPs from Delhi. The election also witnessed a dramatic turn when Congress councillor Sabila Begum resigned from her party and voted for Khinchi, a move her husband publicised on social media.

The election was delayed due to political disputes between the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and the BJP, contributing to a shortened term for the new mayor.

According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi rules, mayors are elected annually with roles rotating by category: the first year reserved for a woman, the second for an “open” category candidate and the third for a reserved category candidate.

Khinchi’s term reflects the third year, reserved for a candidate from the Scheduled Caste community. His victory comes as the Aam Aadmi Party continues to fend off challenges from the BJP, which previously held a 15-year grip on the capital’s municipal corporation until the Aam Aadmi Party’s win in December 2022.