Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is the municipal corporation that governs most of Delhi, a union territory of India. The MCD is among the largest municipal bodies in the world providing civic services to a population of about 20 million citizens in Delhi, apart from the capital New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment.
Municipal Corporation of Delhi Dillī Nagara Nigama | |
|---|---|
Coat of arms | |
| Type | |
| Type | Municipal corporation of Delhi |
Term limits | 5 years |
| Established | 7 April 1958 |
| Leadership | |
Mayor | Raja Iqbal Singh, BJP since 25 April 2025 |
Deputy mayor | Jai Bhagwan Yadav, BJP since 25 April 2025 |
Municipal commissioner | Ashwani Kumar, IAS |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 250 (elected) + 10 (nominated) |
Political groups | Government (122)
Official Opposition (102)
Other Opposition (26)
|
| Elections | |
Voting system | First-past-the-post |
Last election | 4 December 2022 |
Next election | 2027 |
| Motto | |
| Tamasō Mā Jyōtirgamaya Let the light shine out of darkness | |
| Meeting place | |
| MCD Civic Centre, Minto Road, New Delhi | |
| Website | |
| mcdonline | |
It is headed by the Mayor of Delhi, who presides over elected councillors from 250 wards. The municipal corporation covers an area of 1,397.3 km2 (539.5 mi2). The annual budget of the corporation for the fiscal year 2025-26 exceeds ₹17,000 crore (approximately US$2 billion).
MCD is one of three municipalities in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the others being the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which administers the New Delhi area, and the Delhi Cantonment Board, which administers the Delhi Cantonment. It is the largest and only municipality of Delhi which is directly elected by the people.
History
MCD came into existence on 7 April 1958 under an Act of Parliament. Previously, the DMC (Delhi Municipal Committee) was the principal civic body of Delhi. Guru Radha Kishan served for the longest consecutive period as a councillor of the MCD (initially referred to as the Delhi Municipal Committee). Trilok Chand Sharma served as the first elected Mayor of Delhi. Thereafter, the municipal body has always been alive in its constitution and functioning to the growing needs of citizens. The 1993 amendment of the Act brought about fundamental changes in composition, functions, governance and administration of the corporation.
Trifurcation
On 13 January 2012, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated into three smaller municipal corporations. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation and South Delhi Municipal Corporation each contained 104 municipal wards, whereas the smaller East Delhi Municipal Corporation contained 64 wards.
Reunification
In March 2022, the Delhi State Election Commission indefinitely deferred the municipal elections that were scheduled for April 2022. On 22 March, the Union Government approved the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill to merge the three municipal corporations into a single unified body. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on 30 March 2022, whereafter it was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 5 April 2022. The unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi formally came into existence on 22 May 2022 with Ashwani Kumar and Gyanesh Bharti taking charge as Special Officer and Commissioner, respectively. Elections were held on 4 December 2022, with Aam Aadmi Party winning the majority of seats. However in 2025, Bharatiya Janata Party gained control of the corporation.
Municipal zones in Delhi
The entire MCD area is divided into 12 zones:
- Central Zone
- City–SP Zone
- Civil Lines Zone
- Karol Bagh Zone
- Keshav Puram Zone
- Najafgarh Zone
- Narela Zone
- North Shahdara Zone
- Rohini Zone
- South Shahdara Zone
- South Zone
- West Zone
- Ward Committees of Delhi MCD
Each zone has a ward committee comprising councillors elected from the respective wards. These committees are designed to decentralise administrative powers and address local issues with tailored, community-specific solutions.
List of Mayors
| No. | Name | Party | Term | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelly Oberoi | Aam Aadmi Party | 22 February 2023–26 April 2023 | ||
| 2 | 26 April 2023–14 November 2024 | ||||
| 3 | Mahesh Kumar Khichi | 14 November 2024–24 April 2025 | |||
| 4 | Raja Iqbal Singh | Bharatiya Janata Party | 25 April 2025–Incumbent | ||
List of Deputy mayors
| No. | Name | Party | Term | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaley Mohammad Iqbal | Aam Aadmi Party | 22 February 2023–26 April 2023 | ||
| 2 | 26 April 2023–14 November 2024 | ||||
| 3 | Ravinder Bharadwaj | 14 November 2024–24 April 2025 | |||
| 4 | Jai Bhagwan Yadav | Bharatiya Janata Party | 25 April–Incumbent | ||
Standing Committee
The Standing Committee is the highest decision-making executive body of the MCD, comprising 18 members. It oversees the corporation's financial functions, approves projects, and is responsible for discussing, finalizing, and implementing policies for the capital city. Additionally, the committee has the authority to appoint sub-committees to address specific issues such as education, environment, and parking, as well as to draft and enforce regulations.
Six members of the Standing Committee are elected directly by the House, while the remaining 12 are selected by the ward committees. The committee includes a chairperson and a deputy chairperson, both elected from among its members. The political party with a majority in the Standing Committee holds significant control over the House's policy and financial decisions.
Demographics
Per the 2011 census of India, the Delhi Municipal Corporation governs a population of 11,007,835. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. The corporation has an average literacy rate of 87.6%, higher than the national average of 74.0%: male literacy is 91.44% and, female literacy is 83.20%. In Delhi Municipal Corporation, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Elections
2022 election
Results were announced on 7 December 2022.
| Parties | Popular vote | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ± % | Contested | Won | +/- | ||
| Aam Aadmi Party | 3,084,957 | 42.05 | 15.82 | 250 | 134 | 85 | |
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 2,867,472 | 39.09 | 3.01 | 250 | 104 | 77 | |
| Indian National Congress | 856,593 | 11.68 | 9.41 | 247 | 9 | 22 | |
| Independent | 253,631 | 3.46 | 3 | 3 | |||
| Others | 215,627 | 2.94 | 0 | 5 | |||
| NOTA | 57,545 | 0.78 | |||||
| Total | 7,335,825 | 100 | 250 | ||||
See also
- Delhi Cantonment Board
- New Delhi Municipal Council
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