Indraprastha Vikas Party Merges With BJP, Boosting MCD Strength to 139

On Friday, July 10, 2026, the Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP), a breakaway faction of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), officially merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi. All 16 IVP councillors joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra. This political shift has boosted the BJP's strength in the 250-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House to 139.

Following the merger, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that residents of the joining councillors’ wards would now fully benefit from the development initiatives of Delhi’s "triple-engine government."

The IVP was initially formed as a separate front in the MCD in May of last year. Its emergence occurred after 13 councillors, led by Mukesh Goyal and Hemchand Goyal, resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party. At the time of their departure, the councillors cited "disillusionment" with the leadership of AAP as their primary reason for leaving.

Addressing the merger, IVP chief Mukesh Goyal stated that although the party had maintained cordial relations with the BJP, the councillors and their supporters eventually realised that remaining a separate party hindered their progress. He noted that by staying independent, they were unable to ensure that their respective wards fully benefited from the all-round development being undertaken under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

In response to the development, AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the move. He stated that AAP knew the BJP was behind the entire operation, adding that "the mask has finally come off IVP."

The merger has immediate administrative implications for the civic body. On Friday, three IVP leaders were among those nominated for the posts of chairman and deputy chairman of the 12 ward committees. They were also nominated for membership of the crucial Standing Committee, ahead of the upcoming internal MCD elections scheduled for July 15.