New Delhi: The mayoral election was postponed for the 3rd time due to a clash between BJP and Aam Aadmi Party members in the Delhi Corporation Council meeting.
Elections to Delhi local bodies were held in December last year. In this, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi won in many seats. As a result, the BJP, which had been influencing the local bodies for 15 years, was pushed back. Meanwhile, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has arbitrarily appointed 10 nominees without consulting the state government.
Aam Aadmi Party has been alleging that if the BJP loses in the local body elections, then the party’s victory in the mayoral elections will be played by the lieutenant governor. Also, the Aam Aadmi Party has strongly objected to these appointed members, known as Aldermen, being given the power to vote.
In this situation, today (Feb. 6) when the Delhi Parliament convenes, Satya Sharma, who has been appointed as its Chairman, announced that the nominated members, mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee members will be allowed to vote in the election. Earlier, he had said that these three elections will be held simultaneously. The Aam Aadmi Party strongly opposed this.
Senior Aam Aadmi Party councilor Mukesh Goyal said aldermen cannot vote. Following this, the BJP councilors raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party. Due to this, the parliament was adjourned amid confusion. The mayoral election was also canceled for the 3rd time.
Speaking to reporters after the adjournment of the House, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Suraba Bharadwaj alleged, “The mayoral election will be held today only if it is conducted in a fair manner. The chairman, mayor, deputy mayor, and standing committee members are thinking of rigging the election. That’s why he wants to hold all the three elections together.”
Earlier, on January 6 and 24, due to similar BJP-Aam Aadmi Party clashes, the Speaker’s meeting was adjourned both times without electing a new mayor.
According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor must be elected in the first council meeting held after the completion of the Delhi Municipal Elections. Now, more than two months after the local government elections, the mayor has not been elected
The Delhi Municipal Council has 205 elected members. Apart from these, 7 Lok Sabha members from Delhi, 3 Rajya Sabha members from Aam Aadmi Party and 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Speaker will participate in the mayoral election. It is noteworthy that out of 250 wards in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party has won 134 wards and BJP has won 104 wards.
