Delhi mayoral polls: AAP rebel backs off, MCD awaits nod from EC

MCD is yet to receive the nod from the Election Commission of India to hold polls for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor on April 26 at the Civic Centre

One of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) rebel candidate for the deputy mayor election, Mangalpuri councillor Narendra Kumar, withdrew his nomination on Monday, leaving three others — including the other AAP rebel candidate, Trilokpuri councillor Vijay Sharma — in the fray, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said.

Delhi assembly is yet to issue the list of 14 MLAs who would be part of the corporation this year and a reminder has been sent, officials said. (HT Archive)

MCD is yet to receive the nod from the Election Commission of India to hold polls for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor on April 26 at the Civic Centre, even as the process for printing ballot papers is being initiated. The file for appointing a presiding officer has been moved and a response is awaited. Further, Delhi assembly is yet to issue the list of 14 MLAs who would be part of the corporation this year and a reminder has been sent, officials said.

In an official statement, MCD said: “Aam Aadmi Party’s councillor Narender Kumar (Ward 119, Manglapuri) has taken back his nomination for the election of deputy mayor. The meeting of MCD has been called on April 26, 2024, for the election of mayor and deputy mayor.”

AAP did not comment on the withdrawal of the nomination.

A senior MCD official said that the process of printing ballot papers will be initiated on Tuesday. “After the completion of nomination process on April 18, the process for appointment of a presiding officer by the lieutenant governor was initiated on Friday. Similarly, the file for seeking a nod from election commission was sent on April 8. We are yet to receive response on both these fronts,” the MCD official said.

Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 mandates that the election for the post of mayor and deputy mayor should be held in the first meeting of the corporation in April, but there are precedents of delayed elections.

A second MCD official said that the election commission, during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, delayed the mayoral polls till after it. “Under extraordinary circumstances, the elections can be delayed. We have also seen that the mayoral elections were delayed by several months in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The election commission may decide to delay the polls again,” the official said.

On the appointment of a presiding officer, the second official said: “Normally, the file goes through urban development ministry, chief secretary, chief minister and finally to the LG.” With the chief minister in jail, it is unclear whether the LG secretariat would directly receive the file. The appointment of presiding officer had been a matter of contention between the Delhi government and LG VK Saxena before the mayor election held last year. This year, the Delhi government contended the outgoing mayor would preside over them, but this was contradicted by MCD officials and experts.

An LG secretariat official declined to comment on the matter, but said that the file was yet to reached the LG’s office.

An MCD official said that the electoral college for electing a mayor comprises of Delhi’s 250 councillors, 10 parliamentarians (seven Lok Sabha, three Rajya Sabha), 14 legislators nominated by the state assembly speaker, and 10 aldermen who do not do not have voting powers in the house proceedings. “We have still not received the list of 14 MLAs from the Delhi assembly and a reminder has been sent to the Delhi assembly,” the second official said.