Rajni Abbi, Bharatiya Janata Party councillor from Mukherjee Nagar and Professor of Law at Delhi University, was elected the new Mayor of Delhi on Wednesday. She defeated her Congress opponent by a margin of 88 votes.
While Dr. Abbi polled a total of 170 votes, Congress candidate Savita Sharma polled 82 votes in the 272-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi House. Eight votes were declared invalid.
First-time BJP councillor from R.K. Puram Anil Kumar Sharma was elected Deputy Mayor. He defeated N. Raja of the Congress. There was no voting for the post of Deputy Mayor as the Opposition agreed to accept the result of Mayor's election as its basis. Thirty-nine-year-old Mr. Sharma is a Political Science graduate and joined the BJP youth wing in 1992.
The new Mayor holds the distinction of being the first Delhi Mayor from the academic field. She has also become the second woman to hold the post in the BJP's five-year term in the civic body. Arti Mehra was the Mayor of Delhi for two years in succession from 2007.
Dr. Abbi became a municipal councillor from Ward No.11, Mukherjee Nagar, of the Civil Lines Zone of the MCD in 2007 and has, during the past four years, served as a member of the civic body's Standing Committee and was also its deputy chairperson. Besides, she has also been an active member of the Law & General Purposes Committee and the High-Power Committee on Property Tax.
Born into a family of academicians in 1962, Dr. Abbi did her graduation in English literature from Miranda House College. Thereafter, she pursued her legal education from Faculty of Law, Delhi University, and was a gold medallist both in LL.B. and LL.M. She went on to do her Ph.D. in law from Delhi University and has been teaching there for the past 19 years. Her husband is also a professor of Commerce at Delhi University.
The new Mayor's customary press meet could not take place as chaos reigned after Dr. Abbi's supporters thronged the hall where it was to be held.
In a statement issued later, she said her priorities as the new Mayor would include ensuring a clean and green Delhi and an efficient and accountable civic administration.
Outlining her vision, Dr. Abbi said she believed in total transparency in the MCD working. “I have a definite and clear vision, which is to make Delhi a clean and beautiful city. As the new Mayor, my constant endeavour would be to improve the image of the MCD in the eyes of people of Delhi and ensure that the civic body strives to serve people in their daily needs,” she said.
