AAP councillors posing for the cameras after winning the polls.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
The contest to gain majority in the zonal committees remained mired in controversies since the announcement of the polls last month, culminating in a situation where the Mayor refused to appoint presiding officers and the Lieutenant-Governor stepped in to ensure that the elections are held on time.
Barely a week before the polls, AAP received a jolt when five of its councillors joined the BJP on August 25,leaving it with just 128 members in the 250-member MCD House.
Four days later, one of the five defectors – Shahbad Dairy councillor Ram Chander – returned to his parent party terming the decision to join the BJP his life’s “biggest mistake”.
However, another row erupted when AAP accused the BJP of “kidnapping” him, an accusation termed a “fabricated story” by the BJP even as the councillor returned home.
The councillor claimed that he was taken to a BJP office and told that he would be “framed in false cases by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation”. The BJP questioned the veracity of the claims, saying Mr. Chander has been unable to disclose any names or details of the place where he was taken to.
The political scene further intensified on Tuesday evening when Mayor Shelley Oberoi said “her conscience” did not allow her to appoint presiding officers. In a last-minute intervention, L-G V. K. Saxena asked MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar to notify Deputy Commissioners of all zones as presiding officers.
‘Bid to poach leaders’
He exercised the special power granted to him after a Central gazette notification was made public on Tuesday, which granted absolute powers to him to constitute any authority, board and commission.
According to MCD sources, both AAP and the BJP tried to poach leaders from each other’s camps until the very last minute to win the polls.
Published – September 05, 2024 01:30 am IST