Mayor Shelly Oberoi (right) addressing the MCD House amid a protest by Opposition parties.
| Photo Credit: file photo
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) witnessed high drama a day before the zonal committee elections, with Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Tuesday refusing to appoint presiding officers, saying her “conscience did not allow her to stand for an undemocratic election process” and MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar overruling her a few hours later, saying the polling will happen as per schedule.
The zonal committee elections are to be held on Wednesday from 10 a.m. for the posts of the chairman and the deputy chairman for each of the city’s 12 zonal bodies.
The elections are essential for the formation of the 18-member Standing Committee, which is the MCD’s main decision-making arm that has executive powers to grant approval to projects worth over ₹5 crore.
‘Unprecedented’
In a letter to the MCD Commissioner earlier in the day, Ms. Oberoi said she had received multiple representations from councillors who said they were unable to file nominations as they had received only one day’s notice for the same.
“Providing sufficient time for nomination is essential to upholding the fairness of the democratic process. Never before in the history of MCD has such little time been given for filing of nomination,” she wrote. “It took the Municipal Secretary five days to notify the election after my directions, so how can only one day be given for filing nominations,” the Mayor said.
However, Mr. Kumar issued a notification a few hours later, stating that Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena had “directed that the aforesaid elections be conducted as per the schedule notified by the Commissioner, MCD. Further, the Deputy Commissioner of the zones concerned shall perform the functions and duties of the presiding officer in the interest of free and fair elections”.
The official added that the L-G had “directed that the aforesaid order shall be enforced with immediate effect (with the elections) being a matter of emergent nature and in the larger public interest”.
War of words
While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is in power in the civic body with 128 councillors in the 250-member House, did not issue a response. The BJP, which has 111 councillors, welcomed the Commissioner’s order.
Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition in the MCD Raja Iqbal Singh criticised the Mayor for refusing to appoint the presiding officers and called it an admission of defeat by AAP. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor called for Ms. Oberoi’s dismissal, saying “she has lost all constitutional and ethical right to occupy the Mayor’s office as she has pushed MCD towards the brink of dissolution”.
Numbers game
Given the current break-up of the councillors, the BJP is poised to take the lead in five zones — Central, Keshavpuram, Najafgarh, Shahdara (South), and Shahdara (North).
The ruling AAP is also ahead on as many zones — Rohini, City-SP, Karol Bagh, West, and South. However, the votes of the 10 L-G-appointed aldermen may prove to be decisive on two seats — Narela and Civil Lines — where they could tip the balance in the BJP’s favour.
If the BJP wins more zones and takes control of the Standing Committee, a unique scenario could present itself in the civic body with the House and its main decision-making arm being controlled by different parties.