Delhi MCD Mayor Elections: The first session of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Friday was adjourned following ruckus in the house.
The House was scheduled to elect Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Members of Standing Committee and conduct other listed business.
Officials had made all arrangements especially for the election of new mayor. The session started with oath taking ceremony of the newly elected members.
In the chair was BJP councillor Satya Sharma - the presiding officer appointed by Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena albeit objections by the Aam Aadmi Party.
The chaos started in the house when the presiding officer asked nominated members to take the oath. The AAP councillors started creating a ruckus claiming that it was not the custom for the aldermen to take oath before the elected councillors.
Arguments between AAP and BJP members intensified and also led to clashes and manhandling. The result was an adjourned house. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections that the AAP could have easily won could not be held.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had won a total of 134 seats out of the total 250 seats in the Delhi MCD elections held in December last year. The BJP had won 104 seats whereas Congress could win just 09 seats.
There are also 24 nominated members. They are: 07 Lok Sabha members (all of BJP), 03 Rajya Sabha members (all of AAP) and 14 MLAs nominated by Delhi Assembly Speaker.
The Delhi Assembly Speaker nominated 13 AAP and 01 BJP MLAs to the MCD. The strength of AAP thus went to 150 and that of BJP to 113, the former having a clear lead over the later.
The Congress meanwhile decided to abstain. The BJP initially gave hint that it will not pose any fight to AAP candidate. It all looked a smooth sailing for the AAP candidate Shelly Oberoi. But the BJP took a last minute U-turn and fielded Rekha Gupta as its candidates, hoping that some AAP members could cross-vote.
“The AAP has a strength of 150. But it will not get more than 140”, a BJP leader said hinting cross voting by some AAP members.
AAP however dismissed the BJP claims saying all its members are united and sensing defeat, the BJP members crated ruckus in the house.
The election of mayor is held through a secret ballot and councillors are free to vote for any candidate since the anti-defection law does not apply to it.
After the chaos and clashes between AAP and BJP councillors on the first day of MCD proceedings which ultimately led to the adjournment of the House, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the attempt to get nominated members to vote in the House is unconstitutional. Sharing the Article of the composition of the Municipality Act, Kejriwal tweeted:
"Article 243R of the Constitution clearly debars nominated members from voting in the House. Attempt to get them to vote in the House is unconstitutional."
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is considering to file FIR against BJP members and also planning to move court for mayor elections.
"We will not allow the BJP to ruin the proceedings further. We will file FIR against the goons of BJP. If the police do not file the FIR, we will move the court. We will not allow BJP's hooliganism at any cost”, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said Friday.
"The BJP had claimed that AAP councillors will join them. They (BJP) tried a lot, but not even a single AAP councillor went to them. That is why we witnessed such a ruckus today," he said.
Bhardwaj also claimed that 04 AAP councillors were injured in the clashes in the MCD house on Friday and their treatment is going on at the LNJP Hospital.
"Everyone knows that AAP enjoys the majority in MCD. We have 134 corporators, while the BJP has 104. AAP Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be elected. The standing committee will also be ours," he said.
"AAP would like the (Mayoral) elections to be held honestly. The one who has the majority should become the MCD Mayor. But the BJP wants to play the game dishonestly. That's why there was such a ruckus and chaos in the house today," Bhardwaj said.
Union Minister and BJP leader, Meenakshi Lekhi on the other hand slammed the Aam Aadmi Party and alleged that it was AAP's conspiracy to stall the smooth functioning of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House and therefore they created ruckus there. Addressing media after the ruckus in MCD House, Lekhi said:
"Section 33B(1) of the Municipal Corporation Act has been brought into action. Delhi L-G V.K. Saxena has exercised his power and nominated people, and Chairperson to the House. There was a conspiracy that AAP will not allow smooth functioning and thus they created ruckus."
"The chaotic conditions witnessed today in the Municipal Corporation House would never have happened. A very shameful incident happened. This was done by those who have come to power by calling themselves 'anarchists'. Arvind Kejriwal also calls himself 'anarchist'," the Union Minister added.
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