Delhi Mayor polls | L-G approves February 16 for polls; SC heard AAP’s plea today

Failing to elect a Mayor, the last three meetings of the MCD had seen a ruckus and scuffle between the AAP and BJP councillors .

The proceedings of the MCD House on February 6. | Photo Credit: ANI

Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved February 16 as the date to reconvene the meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to try and elect the city’s Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and the standing committee for the fourth time, officials at the L-G House said on Sunday.

The Supreme Court also held a detailed hearing on Sunday on a petition filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alleging deliberate stalling of the mayoral elections for the third time in a row.

The fresh date was proposed by the civic body and sent to the Delhi government. The proposal was on February 9, approved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and sent for the L-G’s approval, a government official said.

Reacting to the L-G’s approval, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “BJP will extend all cooperation to the presiding officer in holding the three elections simultaneously through secret ballot, with voting rights for the aldermen, as announced by the presiding officer in the last meeting.”

Fourth attempt

This will be the fourth attempt when the city’s elected and nominated councillors would gather for the mayoral polls as the previous three meetings— on January 6, January 24 and February 6— had to be adjourned due to a ruckus in the House by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the AAP members, over various issues.

The last meeting on February 6 was adjourned after the AAP councillors protested pro tem against presiding officer and BJP councillor Satya Sharma’s decision to grant voting rights to the 10 aldermen. The AAP had approached the Supreme Court after the last meeting.

The SC, in a preliminary hearing on February 8, had said that the Constitution did not allow nominated members of a municipality the right to vote in meetings. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud also issued notice to the L-G and the presiding officer.

The city had not gotten a mayor in the last two months after the MCD elections were held on December 4 last year and the results were declared on December 7, giving the AAP a clear majority with 134 wards. The BJP had to settle for 104 wards after staying at the helm of the corporation for 15 years.