AAP’s Shelly Oberoi elected as Delhi mayor

MCD earlier convened on January 6, January 24, and February 6 the mayoral polls but descended into chaos each time

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Shelly Oberoi, 39, was elected as the mayor as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)’s session for the mayoral polls was convened for the fourth time on Wednesday after the election could not be held with the earlier three sessions over two months plunging into chaos.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members celebrate Shelly Oberoi’s election. (ANI)

The AAP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have blamed each other for the delay in the polls. The BJP said the AAP did not want to elect a mayor. The AAP alleged the BJP was trying to hijack the House so it can continue to run MCD through nominated members.

MCD earlier convened on January 6, January 24, and February 6 but descended into chaos each time. The election could not take place earlier due to pro-tem presiding officer Satya Sharma’s decision to allow voting rights to the nominated aldermen.

Oberoi was declared the winner after she got 150 votes compared to BJP’s Rekha Gupta’s 116, days after lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Saturday approved a proposal to convene the session of MCD House on Wednesday for the mayoral election.

The approval came a day after the Supreme Court directed that the meeting for the election be notified within 24 hours.

Oberoi moved the Supreme Court for timely polls. The court on Friday ruled that the 10 nominated members have no say in the appointment of the mayor, deputy mayor, and standing committee members of MCD.

AAP defeated the BJP in the December municipal polls, winning 134 out of the 250 wards. The BJP won 104 wards and the Congress nine.

The court held that once the mayor’s election is over, the person elected will preside over the remaining elections in the House.

At the February 6 meeting of the MCD House, Sharma, a BJP councillor, ruled the 10 aldermen will get voting rights and that all three elections will be held simultaneously. Sharma also directed two AAP lawmakers to leave the House chambers and triggered chaos.

The electoral college for mayor comprised 250 councillors, seven Lok Sabha, three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi, and the 14 MLAs nominated by the speaker of the Delhi assembly.

Delhi has seven BJP Lok Sabha MPs and three AAP Rajya Sabha MPs. On December 23, the Delhi assembly speaker, Ram Niwas Goyal, nominated 14 MLAs — 13 AAP MLAs and one BJP MLA — to the municipal corporation.