New Delhi, Apr 26 (IANS): In a latest development, the BJP candidates withdrew their names just ahead of the Wednesday Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections for the positions of mayor and deputy mayor.

Despite lacking adequate numbers in the House, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had fielded Shikha Rai and Soni Pandey as the candidates for the mayoral and deputy mayoral elections in the MCD respectively.

Shikha Rai is currently serving as the councillor from Greater Kailash-1 ward, while Soni Pandey represents the Sonia Vihar ward in northeast Delhi in the civic body.

"The Delhi BJP has decided to withdraw from the Mayor and Deputy Mayor election of MCD. Despite our best efforts, the Aam Aadmi Party is not ready to make the MCD functional by allowing the formation of Standing Committee and Ward Committees of MCD," said Praveen Shankar Kapoor, the spokesperson of Delhi BJP.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) named Shelly Oberoi and Aaley Mohammad Iqbal as the mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates respectively for the MCD elections. The party decided to renominate the two after the decision was taken by Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, "in recognition of their performance" in the MCD, Delhi government.