Parliament passes Bill to merge all three Delhi MCDs

The opposition has time and again expressed concerns over the Bill, saying that it amounted to foiling the Delhi civic election process and also undermining the federal separation of powers.

Parliament on Tuesday passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to merge three municipal corporations into a single entity in the national capital, after Rajya Sabha approved it with a voice note.

The opposition has expressed concerns over the Bill, saying that it amounted to foiling the Delhi civic election process and also undermining the federal separation of powers.

This development comes after the State Election Commission (SEC) last month deferred the announcement of date of Delhi civic polls after receiving a communication from the Centre. Soon after, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that polls were delayed as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has conceded defeat.

BJP is currently in power in all the three Delhi civic bodies.

According to the Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha last week, the municipality wards need to be redrawn and the number of council seats need to reduced to 250 - a process that could take months.