AAP's Dilip Pandey resigns following MCD results

As early trends pointed to a clear victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2017 MCD polls, the resignation phase has started in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as well with party convenor Dilip Pandey resigning following the election results.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the BJP and expressed his willingness to work with the winning party for the betterment of Delhi.

The AAP members have blamed the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malpractice for its defeat.

Following the BJP's victory in the MCD polls, Congress leaders like Ajay Maken, Gurudas Kamat and P.C. Chacko also announced their resignations from their posts.

The BJP has swept the polls to Delhi's three municipal corporations, North, East and South winning 181 seats out of 270 seats.

The party succeeded in retaining power in the three civic bodies for the third consecutive term.

The AAP with 48 seats finished second, Congress with 29 seats third.

12 seats went to others including Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Independents.

Reacting to poll results, senior BJP leader and Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said, the result is a message for AAP to give up negative politics and work for constructive politics.

He rejected AAP allegations of EVMs tempering terming them as wild and baseless.

Delhi BJP Unit Chief Manoj Tiwari also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah's leadership and policies for the victory.

Party leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the EVM tampering is a bitter truth and his party will continue to speak about it.

AAP leader Ashutosh dismissed the suggestions of Kejriwal's resignation over the party's defeat.

AAP MLA Alka Lamba has offered to resign from Chandni Chowk assembly constituency on party's poor show.

Congress leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the party should have campaigned more aggressively in favour of their candidates.