Delhi govt proposes mayor elections on Feb 16

The final decision on the matter will be taken by LG VK Saxena. Raj Niwas officials, however, said that they have not received any proposal from the government till late Thursday evening

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday proposed holding MCD mayor elections on February 16, with last three attempts ending in a political stalemate, a government spokesperson said on Thursday.

BJP councillors shout slogans against AAP councillors at the civic centre in New Delhi on February 6. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

The spokesperson said that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had proposed February 16 for holding the meeting of the MCD House. “Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has approved the proposal. The Delhi government is prepared to hold the elections on February 16,” the spokesperson said.

With the chief minister’s office clearing the proposed date, the final decision on the matter will be taken by LG VK Saxena. Raj Niwas officials, however, said that they have not received any proposal from the government till late Thursday evening.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear on February 13 the plea moved by two AAP leaders seeking time-bound elections, and challenging the decision by the presiding officer to allow the nominated members (aldermen) to vote in the mayor polls and hold elections to the posts of mayor, deputy mayor and members of the Standing Committee on a single ballot.

The results to the MCD elections were announced on December 7. The AAP won 134 of total 250 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 104 and the Congress nine seats. Three independents also won, but one of them later joined the BJP.

So far, the MCD House has met thrice --- on January 6, January 24 and February 6 --- to elect a mayor, but differences between AAP and BJP councillors led to adjournment of the House. The two-hour-long first meeting on January 6 descended into pandemonium with members of the house coming to blows over the matter of order of oath taking by the nominated members (aldermen) and elected councilors. The second meeting on January 24 lasted for over four hours and all the 250 elected and 10 nominated members were administered oath. The ruckus began just before the mayor elections were expected to be held. In the third attempt this Monday, the meeting lasted for less than 45 minutes, with the presiding officer ruling that the nominated aldermen be allowed to vote. As the House was adjourned amid exchanges between the councillors of the two parties, the AAP moved the Supreme Court.

An MCD official who asked not to be named said that holding any House meeting requires a prior notice of 72 hours to all the members.

Presiding officer Satya Sharma, a BJP councilor from Gautampuri, did not comment on the development.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the party welcomes the date for holding mayor elections, but only if the AAP “allows the polls to take place”.”However, one fails to understand when the matter is sub-judice with the Supreme Court going to hear the AAP’s plea on February 13, why did the government propose a date for elections.

Leader of the AAP councillors in the House Mukesh Goyal said they want early resolution of the matter and mayor elections but it must be ensured that the polls are held legally. “The presiding officer keeps on changing the stand on various matters. The BJP creates a ruckus forcing an adjournment. The intentions of BJP are not good,” Goyal said.