Aldermen do not have the right to vote during the mayoral election. But as members of the Ward Committee, they have the right to assist the House in taking decisions of public importance.
New Delhi
Oi-Deepika S
New Delhi, February 07: Even two months after AAP won the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the national capital is running without a mayor. There have been three attempts so far to elect the mayor, but all of them have ended in ugly spats between AAP and BJP leaders.
Notably, the MCD has been without political leadership for the past eight months, as a result of which the civic body is not taking any policy decisions.
Delhi Mayor’s election was stopped for the third time on Monday. The proceedings were disrupted as members of the Aam Aadmi Party once again raised an uproar over the voting rights of the aldermen.
Who are the Aldermen?
The word “alderman” traces its origin, states the Merriam-Webster dictionary, from Old English ealdorman, from eald (old) + man. Alderman refers to specific experts in certain fields.
As per the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act of 1957, the Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi has the power to nominate ten persons above the age of 25 to the corporation. These individuals are believed to have special expertise or experience in the municipality. Administration.
However, aldermen do not have voting rights during the mayoral election. As members of the Wards Committee, they have the right to assist the House in taking decisions of public importance.
The central point of debate is whether or not aldermen can vote. The AAP has alleged that the central government has “illegally occupied” the MCD for the past one year and the BJP is trying to run the civic body by force.
The AAP said it would approach the Supreme Court so that the mayoral elections could be held “under court supervision”.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including party councillors, MPs and MLAs, staged a sit-in near the AAP office here on Tuesday, accusing the party of obstructing the mayoral election at the MCD House meeting.
West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma criticized AAP for opposing the right to vote for aldermen, saying nowhere it is written that they cannot vote in the mayoral election.
The first two sessions of the MCD House – held on January 6 and January 24 – were adjourned by the presiding officer following ruckus and heated exchanges between BJP and AAP members.
As per the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are to be elected in the first session of the House after the civic elections. However, it has been two months since the municipal elections were held on December 4 and Delhi is yet to get a mayor.
The question now is who is afraid to take the process forward. Whether any disagreement on actions affects the basic structure of policy making. Is the blame game the way to deal with it or legal action?