New Delhi/IBNS: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Mahesh Khinchi will become the next Mayor of Delhi after winning the polls by a very thin margin.

Khinchi, who is a councillor from Karol Bagh's Dev Nagar ward, bagged 133 votes while BJP's Kishan Pal got 130 votes in the election held on Thursday evening.

The election process witnessed much drama and chaos including a walkout by Congress members. 

AAP's Ravindra Bhardwaj will take over as the Deputy Mayor as his election was unopposed.

BJP councilor Neeta Bisht, who was contesting against Bhardwaj, withdrew her nomination at the last minute.

The BJP had 120 members but managed to get 10 more votes in a case of cross-voting by AAP members.

"Eight Aam Aadmi Party councillors voting in favour of the BJP and two votes being declared invalid is not only a victory for democracy but also a big moral defeat for Arvind Kejriwal. Arvind Kejriwal no longer has the moral right to remain the "AAP" convenor," BJP said in a statement read.

Khinchi will hold the post of Mayor for only 5 months with the election process being repeatedly postponed since April.

The Congress staged a walkout on this issue as it was in favour of a full one-year tenure for the first Dalit mayor.

In another turn of events, Congress's Mohammad Khushnood and his wife Sabila Begum resigned from the primary membership of the party, claiming to vote for the AAP candidate.

When the seven Congress members walked out as the voting started, Sabila Begum stayed back to vote.