MCD Election 2017: All You Need To Know

New Delhi: The elections to the three municipal corporations in the National Capital will be held on April 23. The civic body elections are being seen as a popularity test for the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party which lost the Rajouri Garden seat to the BJP in the by-elections, for the BJP, these elections are a prestige issue - the party will be looking to return to power for a third consecutive term. The Congress, which has failed to win a single seat in the last two elections held in Delhi, is banking on its 15-year long rule in the union territory between 1998 to 2013. AAP's entry has transformed the bipolar election into an intense three-way contest.

Here is all you need to know about the three-way contest for Delhi's civic bodies:

• The elections will take place on April 23 and counting will take place three days later - on April 26. Over 272 councillors - NDMC and SMDC have 104 seats each, while the EDMC (64) seats - are trying their luck in the elections
• Their fate will be decided by 1,32,10,206 electorates - of these 73,15,915 include men, 58,93,418 women and 793 voters in the other category.
• North MCD has 42 seats reserved for woman, while South MCD has 45 seats, East MCD has 27 seats reserved for women.
• Swaraj India, the new political party led by Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan will also make its political debut with the civic body elections.
• This will also be the first time that the voters will be able to use the "None of the Above" (NOTA) option.
• The State Election Commission has also increased the expenditure limit for a candidate from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5.75 lakh.