Updates: AAP's Shelly Oberoi elected mayor unanimously, Aaley Md Iqbal deputy as BJP withdraws

AAP MLA from Rajinder Nagar, Durgesh Pathak says that BJP has surrendered in front of Aam Admi Party. Nomination by BJP was filed on April 18. BJP attempted to break our councillors by offering them financial benefits and using threats.

Durgesh Pathak says BJP was wary of BJP councillors cross voting in favour of AAP which is why their candidates withdrew their nominations.

After successful completion of Delhi mayoral election, house adjourned till May 2.

BJP candidate, Shikha Roy, councilor from Greater Kailash, said that she is withdrawing her candidature and demanded that the standing committee should be constituted in accordance with the Delhi Municipal Corporation act.

When mayor Oberoi asked the two deputy Mayor candidates if they wish to withdraw their candidature, BJP councillor from Sonia Vihar, Soni Pandey pulled out her candidature from the race.

Mayor Shelly Oberoi declares that Aaley Md Iqbal from Chandni Mahal ward will be the deputy Mayor of Delhi for 2023-24.

Presiding officer Mukesh Goyal announces that Shelly Obeori, councilor from East Patel Nagar, is Delhi Mayor for 2023-24.

Two minute silence being observed in remembrance of soldiers who lost their lives in Poonch terror attack.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Monday approved the name of Mukesh Goyal as presiding officer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) meeting to conduct Mayoral polls.

The fresh mayoral poll will take place at Civic Centre — the headquarters of the MCD. The session is expected to begin at 11 am today.

Shelly Oberoi was elected Delhi mayor on February 22 in the fourth attempt since the earlier elections were stalled amid a ruckus over voting rights being given to nominated members. She had defeated BJP's Rekha Gupta by a margin of 34 votes by polling 150 votes. Gupta got 116 of the total 266 votes polled.

The post of mayor in the national capital sees five single-year terms on a rotational basis with the first year reserved for women, the second for the open category, the third for the reserved category and the remaining two again for the open category.

The city gets a new mayor after the end of a financial year.

Oberoi's tenure was unusually short, given the MCD's annual cycle begins on April 1. Last year, the union of the three former municipal corporations and the delimitation of wards influenced this cycle, delaying local body elections from April to December.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) house saw a high-octane brawl unfolded just at the start of swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected councillors over issue of 10 nominated aldermen. 

According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act of 1957, the Lieutenant Governor ( of the National Capital Territory of Delhi may nominate ten individuals who are above the age of 25 to the corporation. It is expected that these individuals have specialised expertise or experience in municipal administration. Read BJP and AAP's arguments over aldermen's voting right

A full night and morning of adjournments, pandemonium and fist fights - the fourth session of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the mayoral polls in a nutshell. Read here

The last election held on February 22 which was marked by bitter exchanges and violences among members of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AAP’s Shelly Oberoi was elected the MCD mayor and the party’s Aaley Iqbal was chosen the deputy mayor.

The powers of the presiding officer come to an end with the election of the mayor. The newly elected mayor then presides over the election of the deputy mayor.

Oberoi was elected MCD mayor on February 22. She completed her 38-day tenure on March 31. According to the DMC Act, a new mayor is elected every year at the start of the financial year on April 1.

Oberoi had a truncated tenure due to change in municipal calendar arising from unification of three erstwhile corporations, delimitation and postponement of civic elections to December last year.

The nomination of the presiding officer had emerged as a contentious issue ahead of the first mayoral polls after the MCD unification in February, with the AAP alleging that the LG chose a Bharatiya Janata Party councillor (Satya Sharma) ahead of the senior most member of the House (Mukesh Goyal). During the February 22 session, Sharma took controversial decisions -- allowing nominated aldermen to take oath before the councillors and then allowing them to vote in the polls, both of which were later overturned by the Supreme Court.

Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Monday approved the Delhi government’s proposal to nominate Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Mukesh Goyal as the presiding officer for the mayoral elections. Read more

MCD elections for mayor and deputy mayor are held by secret ballot, and anti-defection laws do not apply. The electoral college is made up of 250 elected councillors, 14 MLAs, and 10 MPs.

Delhi BJP spokesperson, Praveen Shankar Kapoor, said the party anticipates a fair election in which the presiding officer does not play a partisan role, and acts per constitutional precedents. 

“Due to the AAP’s anarchy, the corporation’s administration and development work have come to a halt. They are preventing the formation of MCD’s standing committee. They must understand that without the formation of the standing committee, no administrative work of MCD is possible,” he said.

AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai earlier said people of Delhi have given AAP a clear mandate, and that the AAP candidate for mayor will be elected. “The BJP is attempting to get AAP councillors to their side, but neither the Delhi government nor its municipal wing is going to be affected by their ploy. They tried every trick last time, too, but AAP’s candidate will be elected mayor again,” he said.

BJP on April 18 announced Greater Kailash councillor Shikha Rai will be BJP’s nominee for the post mayor while Soni Pandey, councillor from Sonia Vihar, will be the candidate for deputy mayor. Read more

The incumbent mayor, Shelly Oberoi, and deputy mayor, Aaley Mohammad Iqbal, on April 17 filed their nominations as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates for a second term as the municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to hold elections to the two key posts. Read more