edited by: Revathi Hariharan
Last Update: January 16, 2023, 13:45 IST
The announcement of the MCD mayoral election comes amid a tussle between the AAP government and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena (PTI photo)
Last week, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had tweeted that the Delhi government had proposed four dates – January 18, 20, 21 or 24 – for the exercise.
According to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Delhi VK Saxena, the election to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to appoint the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and six other members of Delhi is to be held on January 24.
The announcement also comes in the midst of a bitter tussle between the Lieutenant Governor and the ruling Kejriwal government. The two are at loggerheads over the smooth functioning of Delhi and the chief minister and his AAP have accused the governor of interfering in the functioning of the government.
Last week, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had tweeted that the Delhi government had proposed four dates – January 18, 20, 21 or 24 – for the exercise.
A file regarding the proposal was later submitted to the lieutenant-governor amid complaints from the AAP government that the civic body has been functioning without a mayor for eight months, and there should be no further delay.
The first meeting of the newly elected MCD House on January 6 was adjourned due to uproar over the oath-taking of the aldermen appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. AAP councilors and MLAs in the House had alleged that a ploy was underway to get voting rights for aldermen to enable the BJP to control the standing committee and zonal committees of the MCD.
After this the meeting was adjourned without electing the new mayor and deputy mayor of the city. There was huge uproar inside and outside the Delhi Assembly after the elected members were not allowed to take oath first. The AAP claimed that “never in the history of the MCD have nominated members taken oath before.”
According to MCD officials, it was the first time in the civic body’s history that a newly elected House failed to elect a mayor and deputy mayor in its first meeting.
The electoral college for the election of the mayor consists of 250 elected councillors, seven Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs from Delhi and 14 MLAs. The Delhi Assembly Speaker has nominated 13 members of the AAP and one member of the BJP to the House.
The total votes in the mayoral elections are 274. The numbers game is in favor of the AAP, which has 150 votes against the BJP’s 113.
In the MCD elections held in December last year, the AAP ended the BJP’s 15-year-old rule in the civic body by winning 134 wards out of 250. The BJP was successful in winning 104 wards.
AAP also protested outside the Assembly against Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena over his allegations of interference by the Lieutenant Governor on the issue of teacher training in Finland. After this, under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal, AAP took out a march till LG House.
(With PTI inputs)
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