Delhi mayor election deferred after BJP-AAP clash at municipal corp meet

The first meeting of the newly elected Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was adjourned on Friday without electing a Mayor and a Deputy amid a political slugfest between the AAP and BJP over procedural issues.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors created a ruckus after the presiding officer decided to administer the oath to 10 aldermen first.

Once the house was adjourned for the day, BJP councillor Satya Sharma said a new date would be announced later.

The House was earlier adjourned for an hour after four aldermen had taken oaths.

Chaos erupted as AAP councillors and MLAs raised slogans and entered the Well when Sharma began the process of administering oath to the aldermen.

Chaos in House

The AAP members demanded that the elected representatives be first given the oath.

The meeting began with Sharma being administered the oath as presiding officer for the elections to the posts of MCD Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

After Sharma invited alderman Manoj Kumar to take oath, AAP MLAs and councillors began to protest. Many rushed to the well of the House shouting slogans.

The oathtaking halted as the AAP councillors climbed on the tables, including those of the presiding officer.

There were heated arguments between the AAP and BJP councillors, who shouted slogans against the AAP and its convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

AAP fumes

AAP MLA and spokesman Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that nominated members (aldermen) never cast their votes in the MCD House.

“Neither in the mayor election nor in the deputy mayor election. They are not allowed to cast votes for standing committee members as well. The BJP is trying to increase the number of its votes by wrong means,” he alleged.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari asked: “Why are they scared to face the elections? It proves they have no faith in established rules and norms.”

Police were in place for the meeting at the Civic Centre building, the MCD headquarters.

Numbers game

The MCD House comprises 250 elected councillors. The BJPs seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi and the AAPs three Rajya Sabha MPs and 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly Speaker will also participate in the elections to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor.

Six members of the standing committee will also be elected.

The Congress, which has nine councillors, has decided not to take part in the voting.

The AAP has a majority of nine in the 250-member House. But the Mayor election is held through a secret ballot, and the BJP is hoping cross-voting by some AAP councillors.

The AAP ended the BJP’s 15-year-rule in the MCD, winning 134 wards in December. The BJP won 104 wards. Gajendra Daral, an Independent councillor, joined the BJP.

The electoral college for the election of mayor comprises the 250 councillors, seven Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs from Delhi and 14 MLAs: 13 from AAP and one from BJP.

In the numbers game, the AAP has 150 votes against the BJP’s 113. The Congress’ nine councillors have decided to boycott the election. There are also two Independents.

There are 18 members in the Standing Committee, of which 12 are elected from the zones and six from the House.

(With Agency inputs)