Ajit Karn
After three failed attempts since the high-stakes municipal elections in Delhi, the Supreme Court’s order has set the stage for the election of a new mayor today. In the upcoming session of the municipal House, the positions of mayor, deputy mayor, and six members of the standing committee will be filled.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party members have questioned how BJP MLA Vijender Gupta was permitted to enter the House. As the AAP members argued with the Delhi Police, a commotion ensued.
The Supreme Court issued an order on February 17 mandating the issuance of a notice within 24 hours for the convening of the first meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to determine the date of the Mayoral election.
Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena then authorised the convening of the municipal House for the conduct of the mayoral election.
Prior to the election, Shelly Oberoi, the mayoral candidate for the AAP, told India Today that in the past, the presiding officer ran the House illegally, in violation of the constitution.
“The BJP cannot accept the mandate given by the voters of Delhi. We hope that the BJP will respect the Supreme Court’s ruling. We are confident in our chances of being elected mayor, deputy mayor, and members of the standing committee “She stated,
On January 6, a month after the municipal elections, the House convened for the first time. Following acrimonious exchanges between BJP and AAP members, the meeting was adjourned. The second and third meetings, held on January 24 and February 6, respectively, also failed to elect a mayor before adjourning.
Following the commotion surrounding the decision to allow nominated members to vote, both the BJP and AAP members blamed each other for derailing the proceedings. Aldermen (members of the MCD nominated by the Lt. Governor) are unable to vote today.
The electoral college for the election of the mayor consists of 250 elected councillors, seven Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha representatives from Delhi, and fourteen MLAs. The Speaker of the Delhi Assembly has nominated thirteen AAP and one BJP members to the House.
There are a total of 274 votes cast in the mayoral election. The game of numbers favours the AAP, which has 150 votes compared to the BJP’s 113. If the alderman had been permitted to vote, the number of BNP members would have increased to 123.
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AAP is likely to win three seats in the election for the Standing Committee, while the BJP will likely win two. The dispute concerns the sixth seat.
