Today marks a pivotal moment as the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections in Delhi’s MCD are set to take place. The meeting in the MCD house is scheduled for 2 PM today (November 14). Presiding Officer BJP councilor Satya Sharma will oversee the election process, having been appointed by the MCD Administrator and chosen due to her seniority among councilors.
Sources indicate that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has instructed all councilors to adhere to the Presiding Officer’s directives for a swift electoral process. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Municipal Corporation In-charge Durgesh Pathak have provided strategic guidance at the party headquarters.
Preparation for the MCD Elections
Two separate polling stations have been arranged for this election. Notably, cell phones are prohibited during voting within the house. It's worth mentioning that AAP councilors have previously protested such guidelines during the permanent committee member elections.
Legislators and MPs Join the Process
Apart from 249 MCD councilors, 14 legislators, all seven Lok Sabha members from Delhi, and three Rajya Sabha members will partake in the Mayor’s election. Notifications have already been dispatched to all councilors, legislators, and MPs regarding their participation.
Meet the Mayoral Candidates
AAP has fielded councilor Mahesh Kheechi from Dev Nagar Ward 84 for Mayor, while BJP has chosen Kishan Lal from Shakurpur. Simultaneously, for Deputy Mayor, AAP has appointed Ravinder Bhardwaj from Aman Vihar, and BJP has nominated Neeta Bisht from Sadatpur.
As Delhi elects its new Mayor today, the current Mayor Shelly Oberoi will become the former Mayor. The elections, originally stalled since April 2024, are finally progressing, a testament to the MCD Act which dictates that the incumbent Mayor designates the date and time of new elections, whilst the Presiding Officer is decided by Delhi’s LG. With state elections around the corner, both BJP and AAP are eager to secure the mayoral position to bolster their assembly election campaigns.
A Short Five-Month Tenure for the New Mayor
Due to prolonged squabbling between the two parties, the new Mayor’s tenure will be limited to just five months. Continuous disputes for seven months between AAP and BJP led to repeated standstills in the MCD house, delaying the elections originally meant for April.
Why the Election Stalled
The AAP-governed MCD's current Mayor Shelly Oberoi is serving under an extension. Since April 2024, the election for the third Mayor has been pending. Currently, the Mayor and the CM both hail from AAP. As of October 16, Kejriwal penned a letter calling for the mayoral election. Yet, Delhi has yet to elect its Mayor for the third term.
Increment of the Current Mayor's Extension
In April 2024, during the mayoral elections, both BJP and AAP announced their candidates; however, the file establishing the presiding officer was returned due to absence of the CM's recommendation. The sitting Mayor was mandated to continue until a new Mayor is elected. During this period, then- Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, being in jail, was unable to provide the necessary recommendation, causing the April 2024 mayoral election to be suspended.
What Does the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act Say?
Under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the Mayor’s election is conducted annually in April. In December 2022's municipal elections, AAP secured 134 seats. Consequently, AAP councilor Dr. Shelly Oberoi was elected Mayor in February 2023. As the fiscal year ended, she was re-elected as Mayor in April 2023. However, the 2024 mayoral election remains pending. According to the MCD Act, the first year for the mayoral position is reserved for a female councilor; the second for a general candidate, and the third year for a councilor from a scheduled caste. The final two years again open to the general category.
Heeding the Call of Conscience for Councilors
BJP’s media chief Praveen Shankar Kapoor expressed concerns about a potential delay in the mayoral election, appealing to AAP councilors to follow their conscience before casting their vote. He accused AAP of stalling the Dalit mayoral election, leaving AAP councilors disgruntled. Kapoor emphasizes that their councilors will vote for development and hopes AAP’s councilors also prioritize development in their voting.
