AAP fields Shelly Oberoi as MCD Mayor candidate; BJP yet to take call

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday (December 23) named East Patel Nagar councillor Shelly Oberoi as its mayoral candidate. The post of the Mayor is reserved for a woman candidate for the first year.

The party also named Aaliyah Mohammed Iqbal, councillor from Chandni Mahal ward as its candidate for the post of Deputy Mayor. The elections will be held on January 6 at the first meeting of the house.

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The process for elections to the post of mayor was initiated on Wednesday (December 21), with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) issuing a notice, inviting nominations from the newly-elected councillors. The members will also vote to choose six members of the Standing Committee and a Deputy Mayor.

The operative part

Besides the 250 councillors, seven Lok Sabha MPs, three Rajya Sabha MPs, and one-fifth of Delhi’s MLAs will vote to choose the Mayor, and a Deputy Mayor. The 14 MLAs who are supposed to participate in the voting are nominated by the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly by rotation every year.

The Delhi Lieutenant Governor also nominates 10 Aldermen to the House. They, however, do not have voting rights in the House.

Brief tenure

The first Mayor will have a tenure of three months, till April 2023. This is because the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act mandates the elections to the post of Mayor to be held after April 1 every year.

Speaking to The Federal, Shelly Oberoi said, “I will focus on issues that form a part of our guarantee programme. However brief, three months is enough to kick-start work as many of our councillors have already started working. We will be charting a blueprint after we meet on the first day and strategise on ways to execute our promises. I am very hopeful that we will deliver on all our promises.”

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“Since this will be the first mayoral polls after the unification of the municipal corporation in Delhi which was trifurcated in 2012, the onus is completely on me to begin work in earnest. I will be taking guidance from other senior leaders in my party” she added.

Will the polls be a cakewalk for AAP?

Even though the AAP has a clear majority of 134 councillors in the 250-member House, there are chances of cross-voting since the anti-defection law does not apply to these polls. Considering all other members comprising the electoral college, AAP’s strength may increase to 151 (subject to the Speaker’s approval), including 134 council members, three Rajya Sabha MPs, and 14 MLAs.

With the addition of the seven MPs, the number of BJP votes in the mayoral race will increase to 111 (including 104 council members).

The BJP still has chances to elect its Mayor in the national capital, despite AAP’s win as anti-defection laws are not applicable to municipal polls.

However, answering a question on whether the math is in favour of the AAP, Oberoi said “I am very excited and eagerly looking forward to January 6. We are confident and the numbers are in our favour.”

BJP’s U-turn

After the declaration of the MCD results, citing Chandigarh as an example, the BJP had suggested that the AAP may have won the majority in the MCD polls, but the Mayor’s election is still an open game.  But over the course of next few days, the party said the next Mayor will be from the AAP as it got the majority. Speaking to the media, former Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said the party will play the role of a strong opposition in the MCD by acting as a watchdog.

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However, speaking to The Federal, Delhi BJP spokesperson, Harish Khurana said, the party will take a decision on this in the next few days. “We will officially take a decision on this in the next few days. The party may put up a candidate for the Mayor’s post or it may refrain from fielding anyone. It will be officially disclosed,” said Khurana.