The Delhi Municipal House will meet on Monday, February 6 to finally pick a mayor for the city after two failed attempts. A motion by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to convene the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House on that day was accepted by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, resulting in the Delhi mayoral election taking place on Monday (Feb. 6).
According to sources quoted by the news agency PTI, the MCD itself had suggested February 10 as the date. Since Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party in the December election, MPs from the civic body of the national capital will convene three times to select a mayor and deputy mayor. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) requested in a letter to the MCD's presiding officer on Sunday that aldermen not be allowed to vote.
On January 6 there was a dispute over whether the 10 members selected by the Lieutenant Governor were eligible to vote, and on January 24 the election was abruptly adjourned by the presiding officer who claimed there was no order of the house.
The nominees for the post of deputy mayor are -- Aaley Mohammad Iqbal (AAP) and Kamal Bagri (BJP). In addition to the mayor and deputy mayor, the municipal house will also elect six people to the MCD's standing committee. After a ten-year hiatus, Delhi will finally have a mayor for the entire city following the mayoral election.
(Also Read: IRCTC introduces Bharat Gaurav Deluxe A/C Tourist train for Gujarat, check features and ticket prices)
Given its popularity, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party will likely win the mayor's seat, but its position will be fragile regarding the election of the standing committee, which is thought to be the most important body in the corporation.
.
Today's election will determine six of the 18-member standing committee, with the AAP winning three seats and the BJP securing two. The battle is for the sixth seat, which will go to the BJP if the ten nominated members, or aldermen, are permitted to cast ballots. The remaining 12 members of the standing committee will be chosen through zonal elections.
The three Rajya Sabha representatives of the AAP, the seven Lok Sabha members of the BJP from Delhi, and the fourteen Delhi Speaker-nominated MLAs are also permitted to vote.
(Also Read: New income tax regime: What is income tax slab? Know old and new rates of Budget FY 2023-24)
AAP and BJP candidates physically fought during the first poll on January 6, pushing and punching one another, throwing tables and chairs, and jumping on desks. Even the Supreme Court heard the case, where AAP asked for a deadline-bound election and directives barring the aldermen from casting ballots.
In the first municipal election held following the merger of the MCD and the redistricting of seats last year, the AAP won 134 of the 250 wards. In second place with 104 seats was the BJP.
