Delhi LG nod for MCD meet on February 16

The development comes a day before the Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter regarding the delay in holding the mayoral election on a plea moved by the ruling Aam Admi Party

The house of councillors of the Delhi Municipal Corporation will meet again on Thursday to elect a mayor and other executive members after three previous meetings since the December elections ended in a stalemate. The councillors are headed to the fourth meeting without the contentious issues being resolved.

Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Sunday approved the proposal of the municipal secretariat for holding the next meeting on February 16, which was forwarded by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on February 9. (HT Archive)

Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Sunday approved the proposal of the municipal secretariat for holding the next meeting on February 16, which was forwarded by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on February 9. The development comes a day before the Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter regarding the delay in holding the mayoral election on a plea moved by the ruling Aam Admi Party.

The MCD elections were held on December 4 and results were announced on December 7. The AAP secured a majority, but the capital’s civic body continues to be run by a special officer appointed by the central government more than two months after the elections.

“As recommended by the Chief Minister, I approve the proposal to convene the adjourned first meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Thursday, 16th February, 2023 at 11:00am at 4th floor, Dr SP Mukherjee Civic Centre,” Saxena said in an order.

The councillors are expected to elect a mayor, a deputy mayor and six members of the standing committee. The 18-member standing committee is a powerful body that controls the purse strings of the municipality. The remaining 12 members are elected by zonal committees in the 12 administrative zones under the corporation.

The last three meetings were held on January 6 and 24 and February 6, with the latest meeting witnessing several controversial rulings made by presiding officer Satya Sharma of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, including granting voting rights to members known as aldermen who are nominated by the lieutenant governor.

An official of the municipal secretariat explained the reason behind the long gaps in holding the meetings. “The adjourned meetings cannot be started from the very next day and new date needs to announced, which can only be done via the LG’s office. For finalizing a date for a house meeting, a proposal is moved by the municipal secretary and MCD commissioner to the urban development secretary in the Delhi government. The urban development minister of the Delhi government forwards the proposal to the chief minister and it finally ends up with the LG,” the official said, seeking anonymity.

“The lieutenant governor has the power to fix the date, time and place for holding the inaugural MCD house meeting where mayoral elections are held. Holding any house meeting also requires a prior 72 hour notice to all the members. The entire cycle is repeated over and over again, leading to these delays,” he added.

The BJP welcomes Sunday’s decision, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said. “The BJP will extend all cooperation to the presiding officer in holding the three elections simultaneously through secret ballot with voting rights for aldermen as announced by the presiding officer in the last meeting,” Kapoor said. “We call upon Aam Admi Party leaders to abide by the directions of the presiding officer and allow peaceful holding of the simultaneous elections.”

The BJP continues to insist on the illegal orders made by the presiding officer in the last meeting, and in the end, the court will have to clarify the matter before the next attempt, AAP councillor Prem Chauhan said.

“Delhi Municipal Corporation Act clearly says that aldermen do not have voting rights and elections can be held simultaneously,” Chauhan said. The leader of the AAP councillor group, Mukesh Goyal, stated that the court will now guide the process.

BJP’s Sharma did not comment on the development.

The apex court is expected to hear the plea moved by the AAP on February 13. The apex court has sought a response from the office of the lieutenant governor and the presiding officer for urgent completion of the required elections.

The AAP won 134 out of 250 seats in the council, while the BJP won 105 and the Congress nine. The corporation’s deliberative wing comprises 250 elected members, 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi assembly, 10 Delhi MPs and 10 aldermen nominated the leiutenant governor. Over the last month, the AAP has objected to the appointment of a BJP councillor as the presiding officer as well the nomination of 10 BJP members as aldermen by the lieutenant governor’s office.