AAP's Shelly Oberoi is new Delhi mayor
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Shelly Oberoi has been elected as the new mayor of Delhi on Wednesday. The election had previously been called off three times due to a stalemate between the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Reportedly, 10 nominated MPs, 14 nominated MLAs, and 241 elected councilors voted in the election to elect the woman mayor.
Why does this story matter?
The AAP-BJP feud dominated the Delhi mayoral elections shortly after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections concluded in December with AAP's victory. Bickering ensued between the two parties after Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) VK Saxena named 10 aldermen for voting without consulting the Delhi government. However, the elections were held on Wednesday after Supreme Court overturned Saxena's order.
Visuals of AAP celebrating the win
Oberoi gets 150 votes; BJP's Rekha Gupta 116
According to reports, the mayoral elections went on peacefully following Supreme Court directions, and AAP candidate Shelly Oberoi was declared the winner after nearly two hours of the voting process. Oberoi defeated BJP candidate Rekha Gupta after securing 150 votes while Gupta got 116 votes.
People win, hooligans lost: Manish Sisodia
Elections marred with AAP-BJP feud
The MCD House convened to elect the Delhi mayor on January 6, January 24, and February 6, but it was adjourned following scuffles between AAP and BJP councilors. It was scheduled for the fourth time on February 16 but was postponed due to a Supreme Court hearing on a petition filed by AAP candidate Oberoi seeking an early mayoral election for MCD.
How did SC's intervention help?
On February 17, the SC bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said the election of the new mayor must be done at the first MCD meeting. Once elected, the mayor will oversee the deputy mayor's election, it said. Notably, the court also ordered that the nominated aldermen be barred from voting in this election.
Who is Shelly Oberoi?
Oberoi, a councilor from East Patel Nagar, was a visiting professor at Delhi University (DU) and is a lifetime member of the Indian Commerce Association (ICA). She did her Ph.D. at Indira Gandhi National Open University's (IGNOU) School of Management Studies and has won several awards. Notably, AAP had filed AAP MLA Shoaib Iqbal's son, Aaley Mohammed, for the deputy mayor's post.
