MCD mayoral poll: AAP candidate moves SC

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that AAP was running away from the election by first creating ruckus and now moving the court

Shelly Oberoi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate for Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) mayoral polls, has moved the Supreme Court for the completion of the election in a time-bound manner, functionaries aware of the matter said. The court may take up the plea for hearing on Monday, they added.

The election for mayor and deputy mayor was stalled on Tuesday for the second time in three weeks. (Hindustan Times)

The election for mayor and deputy mayor was stalled on Tuesday for the second time in three weeks. A ruckus broke out in the MCD minutes after the nominated members and councillors were sworn in and the mayoral poll was going to start. The AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed each other for the ruckus.

An AAP functionary said it has been over a month that the results of the MCD election were announced. “The BJP has disrupted the proceedings of the House with the intention to not allow the mayoral polls to be held because AAP has adequate numbers to win,” said the functionary, who did not want to be named.

The functionary added the people chose AAP to run the MCD by giving it 134 out of 250 councillors. “But till now the mayoral election has not been completed. It is affecting the functioning of the MCD. We want the election to be held in a time-bound manner so that the MCD can function and serve the people.”

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that AAP was running away from the mayoral election by first creating the ruckus and now moving the court where no one knows how much time it may take for a decision. “In the normal course, the Presiding Officer could have called a meeting of the House any day but having landed in court now it may take a couple of months to decide. “

Kapoor said going to the court is a ploy to delay the election as AAP is not sure of its majority. “The mayoral election could not be undertaken at the two previous meetings of the House due to ruckus created by AAP leaders. Moreover, it is clear that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal does not want Delhi to get a mayor as he fears that a unified single mayor may become more popular than him and become a potential threat to his political control on the party,” he said.

The BJP has fielded Rekha Gupta for the mayor’s post. Aaley Mohammad Iqbal is AAP’s candidate for deputy mayor and Kamal Bagri is for the BJP.

On Tuesday, 10 nominated members, known as aldermen, and 249 elected councillors, were administered the oath. But as soon as the booths for the mayoral elections were set up, an uproar started after BJP members started sloganeering against Kejriwal. This prompted the postponement of the mayoral poll.

After the last MCD House meeting, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the AAP councillors’ maintained peace and accused BJP members of intentionally attempting to create the ruckus. “It is now clear that the BJP is running away from the elections. This is against the constitution and democracy.”

The results of the MCD elections were announced on December 7. The BJP got 105 and the Congress nine seats.

The first meeting of the newly-constituted MCD descended into an ugly brawl on January 6. Councillors fought pitched battles on the floor of the House, exchanging blows, climbing on tables to shout slogans, jostling with each other, and even attempting to hurl furniture into the melee.

The political deadlock has delayed the election of a mayor for the first time since the inception of a local body in the Capital in 1957.

The votes are cast through a secret ballot in the mayoral polls. The electoral college for the election of mayor includes 250 elected councillors, seven members of the Lok Sabha, three members of the Rajya Sabha, and 1/5th of the members of the Delhi Assembly (14).

The Delhi Assembly speaker has nominated 13 AAP and one BJP assembly member for representation in the MCD.

AAP also has three Rajya Sabha members in the electoral college (150 votes). The BJP votes include seven Lok Sabha members and one assembly member (113). The 10 nominated persons are also part of the House of councillors, but they do not have voting rights.