A political storm is brewing in Delhi over the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Standing Committee election. Just a day after Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena directed the MCD to hold the election on September 27, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has called the order “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”
Speaking to ANI, Oberoi stated, “The order issued by the MCD Commissioner on the order of the LG last night that at 1 pm the election of Standing Committee member will be done. This order is illegal and unconstitutional. LG has no power to interfere in the functioning of the House.” She further alleged that the BJP disrupted House proceedings multiple times on Thursday, attempting to hinder the election process. “Following this, I was forced to adjourn the House till 5th October. Legally the election can be held only on October 5. A letter has been sent to the MCD Commissioner and it has been told to him that the notice issued yesterday is illegal. What are the BJP’s intentions that it wants to conduct the election this way?”
Echoing the Mayor’s concerns, senior AAP leader and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia also questioned LG Saxena’s intervention. Sisodia highlighted that after the LG ordered the MCD Commissioner to hold elections by 10 pm on Thursday night, BJP councillors were present while AAP and Congress councillors were absent. “Now, they want to conduct the election by 1 pm under the additional commissioner of MCD…What Massey did in the Chandigarh mayoral elections, the same is being done by the MCD commissioner Ahwini Kumar here,” he claimed.
The controversy stems from Thursday’s events when MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar issued the order for conducting the election on September 27 at 1 pm. The order stated that the election for the sole vacancy in the Standing Committee was originally scheduled for September 26 at 2:00 pm but was adjourned to October 5 by Mayor Oberoi, citing the need to allow councillors to carry mobile phones inside the voting hall/polling booth. This explanation, according to the MCD, was “specious” and the election should be conducted as originally planned.
This latest development further intensifies the political tension in Delhi, with the AAP accusing the BJP of using the LG’s office to manipulate the election process and gain control over the MCD Standing Committee.
