On Friday, after a dramatic voting process, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate won the final vacant seat in the standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which serves as the highest decision-making authority within the Delhi civic framework.This victory adds to the party’s influence within the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, amidst ongoing political rivalry.
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday following the victory of their candidate, Sunder Singh, who secured the last vacant seat on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) standing committee. Singh received 115 votes, while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Nirmala Kumari received none, as both the Congress and AAP boycotted the election. With this win, the BJP now holds 10 seats on the panel, compared to AAP’s eight.
Kejriwal questioned the legitimacy of the election, stating, “Is this election?” He accused the BJP of “hooliganism,” highlighting procedural violations, such as the failure to send meeting notices to all councillors 72 hours in advance. This seat became vacant after BJP councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat was elected as the Lok Sabha MP for West Delhi.
Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi labeled the election “unconstitutional” and announced that AAP councillors would not participate. The MCD Commissioner, Ashwani Kumar, had ordered the election for the standing committee seat to be held on September 27, despite an earlier notice scheduling it for September 26. The meeting was subsequently adjourned to October 5 by Mayor Oberoi.
