• Source:JND
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Delhi MCD Election Controversy: The voting for the MCD Standing Committee member election is underway at the MCD House in Delhi. The polling is being held in the presence of Additional Commissioner Jitendra Yadav, who is acting as the Presiding Officer in the absence of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is not participating in the election and termed the voting as "illegal and unconstitutional", saying that voting is being held despite Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi's instructions to conduct the election for the sixth member of the Standing Committee on October 5.

AAP MLAs also protested the election of the MCD standing committee member in the Delhi Assembly, leading to a brief adjournment of the proceedings. After the adjournment, AAP MLAs continued their protest outside the assembly near the Mahatma Gandhi statue, chanting slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of Delhi, VK Saxena.

AAP MLA Dilip Pandey accused the L-G of overstepping his authority. "The L-G is trying to interfere in the constitutional proceedings and making a mockery of the system," Dilip Pandey said. The AAP has labelled the election "illegal", arguing that only the mayor, deputy mayor or a senior councillor is authorised to preside over such elections in the MCD House.

Delhi MCD Election: Why The Row?

The AAP's criticism came after Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena overturned the postponement of the election and directed MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar to hold the election on Friday at 1 pm. Notably, MCD Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Thursday postponed the election to the MCD Standing Committee till October 5, while adjourning the proceedings of the council amid a massive ruckus between AAP and BJP councillors.

AAP leader and former deputy chief minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia slammed the BJP, alleging that the saffron party "wants to repeat what it did in Chandigarh Mayoral poll, where it was caught red-handed". He also alleged that the MCD commissioner, Ashwani Kumar, issued an order late Thursday night, directing the election to be conducted with an additional commissioner as the presiding officer, even after mayor Shelly Oberoi adjourned the House meeting and election till October 5.

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Sisodia said that only the mayor, deputy mayor or a senior councillor can preside over the meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House as per the rules. Sisodia further claimed that the commissioner's order for the election came at the direction of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor and termed it "illegal".

"Tonight, on the orders of PM Narendra Modi, BJP is killing democracy in the Delhi Municipal Corporation. The election of the standing committee member was to be held in the Delhi Municipal Corporation today. Mayor Shelly Oberoi tried to conduct the election for the Standing Committee but there was uproar in the House and it had to be adjourned. The Mayor adjourned the House till 5 October and decided that now the meeting would be held again on 5 October for the election of the Standing Committee," Sisodia said on Thursday night.

Sisodia further alleged that BJP councillors knew beforehand that Delhi LG would write a letter and the commissioner's orders would come to conduct polls by 10 pm. "We were thinking what is the motive of the BJP, then we understood what the real game is. An employee of the Municipal Corporation told us that while the councillors of AAP and Congress have left the House, BJP has kept its councillors sitting with its chairman and MPs near the Commissioner in the MCD House," Sisodia claimed.

"All the councillors of the BJP are sitting there right now. They knew beforehand that Delhi LG would write a letter, and the commissioner's orders were coming by 10 pm. They knew everything beforehand, that's why everyone is standing there," he alleged.

'LG's Order On MCD Election Illegal And Unconstitutional': Shelly Oberoi

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Friday termed the LG's order directing the MCD commissioner to conduct the election by 1 pm today as "illegal" and said that the LG has no power to interfere in the functioning of the House.

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"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. After BJP disrupted the House proceedings 2-3 times yesterday and their attempts to hinder the election process continued as well," Oberoi said, as quoted by ANI.

"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?" she added.

Delhi MCD Standing Committee Member Election:

The election was to be held to fill the sole vacancy in the 18-member Standing Committee, which was vacant after BJP councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat resigned following her election to the Lok Sabha from the West Delhi parliamentary seat earlier this year. The MCD has completed elections for 17 out of 18 members of its high-powered standing committee, with AAP securing eight seats and the BJP winning nine.

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The election for the standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was postponed on Thursday as the house meeting was adjourned, following a protest by AAP councillors against the decision to ban mobile phones in the house. Following the adjournment on Thursday evening, MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar in the night issued the order for conducting the election on September 27 at 1 pm.

 

(With Agencies Inputs)