Delhi high court puts on hold key MCD panel poll scheduled for Feb 27

The mayor had said the election exercise would begin afresh as ballot papers and other key documents were torn or lost in Friday's melee.

The Delhi high court on Saturday put on hold a notice by the newly-elected city mayor Shelly Oberoi calling for the re-election to the standing committee of the civic body.

Mayor Shelly Oberoi prepares to leave amid clashes between councillors of AAP and BJP during the election of members of the MCD Standing Committee, at the Civic Centre in New Delhi. (PTI)

On a plea by two BJP councillors Shikha Roy and Kanwaljeet Sehrawat against the notice to conduct the re-election on Febraury 27, Justice Gaurang Kanth noted that the notice has been given without declaration of the results of the earlier elections conducted on February 24.

The court, while issuing notice to the L-G, mayor and Municipal Corporation of Delhi, also clarified that the mayor will preserve the ballot boxes, papers, CCTV footage and other information related to the election of six members of the standing committee on Friday.

Delhi’s Civic Centre descended into another bout of chaos and brawling as councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clashed on Friday evening over the process to vote members of the standing committee of the MCD. The violence marked the lowest point yet in a series of undignified and violent exchanges in the House over the past three weeks.

The ruckus forced adjournment of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House proceedings till February 27 and the mayor said the election exercise would begin afresh as "ballot papers" and other key documents were torn or lost in Friday's melee.

While BJP councillors claimed that they "unofficially" informed about winning three of the six seats, AAP alleged that the BJP members got agitated and attacked Delhi mayor when sensed defeat in the polls.