BJP secures victory in Delhi civic body panel poll as AAP and Congress opt out
PTC News Desk: In a significant political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured the final seat on the Standing Committee of the Delhi Municipal Corporation on Friday afternoon. Sundar Singh Tanwar was nominated to the 18th seat after an election that involved only BJP councillors. Tanwar received 115 votes, which corresponds to the total number of BJP councillors in the municipal body.
Tanwar's victory gives the BJP control over the Standing Committee, a powerful entity within the municipal governance structure that is responsible for making key financial decisions. With 10 out of the 18 members now belonging to the BJP, the party is in a position to appoint the Chairperson of the committee. This control is expected to strengthen the BJP's influence over municipal affairs in Delhi.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which holds 125 councillor seats, chose to abstain from the election. Had the AAP participated, it likely would have won the election and secured control of the Standing Committee. The Congress Party, with nine councillors, also abstained from voting, further consolidating the BJP's unopposed victory.
This turn of events follows a late-night session called by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, the central government’s representative in Delhi, which the AAP decided to boycott. Ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia labeled the election “illegal” and expressed skepticism about its legitimacy, stating, “There is nothing today,” before Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP leader, reiterated the legal stipulations regarding the calling of House sittings.
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Kejriwal emphasised that the law mandates a 72-hour notice for councillors before a House meeting, highlighting concerns about the timing and legality of the election process. He accused the BJP of harboring ulterior motives, suggesting that there was a conspiracy at play to manipulate the situation.
In a related statement, Mayor Oberoi declared the election unconstitutional and illegal, prompting Saxena to intervene. The Lieutenant Governor ordered Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Commissioner Ashwini Kumar to report on the conduct of elections by 10 PM the same day, also indicating that the Deputy Mayor should oversee the proceedings if the Mayor were to be unavailable.
This election is the latest chapter in the ongoing power struggle between the AAP and the Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, highlighting the fraught political landscape in Delhi. The vacancy on the Standing Committee arose following the resignation of BJP's Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who was elected to the Lok Sabha during the recent elections.
As the political environment continues to evolve, the implications of this election for Delhi’s governance and the AAP-BJP rivalry will be closely scrutinised.
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- With inputs from agencies
