Delhi likely to get its mayor today after three postponements
The Delhi mayor election will be held on Wednesday after three delays owing to the dispute between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While numbers show that the AAP is likely to bag the post, the BJP has hinted at a last-minute surprise. In addition, the deputy mayor and six members of the standing committee will be elected.
Why does this story matter?
In the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections in December, the AAP won 134 of the total 250 seats, ousting the BJP after 15 years. Bickering ensued between the two parties after Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) VK Saxena named 10 aldermen for voting without consulting the Delhi government. Last week, however, the Supreme Court overturned Saxena's order and barred the L-G's nominees from voting.
AAP has 150 of total 274 votes
Saxena approved convening the municipal house on Wednesday. The total number of votes for the mayor election is 274, including 250 ward councilors, seven Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs, and 14 Delhi MLAs. The AAP reportedly has 150 votes under its belt, while the BJP has 113. Had the aldermen been allowed to vote, the BJP's voting strength would be 123.
Fight over standing committee's sixth seat
The AAP is expected to win three of the standing committee's six seats and the BJP two seats. The fight will be for the sixth seat of the committee, which is said to be the most powerful body in the MCD. While the mayor would nonetheless come from the AAP owing to the winning numbers, the BJP could capture half of the committee.
Congress to abstain from standing committee election
The Congress announced that it would abstain from contesting the standing committee seats, which prompted the AAP councilors to allege "deal-making with the BJP." The Congress has nine councilors and was being wooed by both the AAP and the BJP.
Delay in election impacted budget and tax proceedings
As per the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957, the mayor and their deputy must be elected in the first session of the House after the civic body polls. The postponements of the mayoral election have however affected the annual budget proceedings. Given the absence of the deliberative wing, the MCD's Special Officer last week passed the schedule of taxes for the year 2023-24.
