Delhi all set to appoint new Mayor today, big fight between AAP, BJP

New Delhi: A month after elections for the 250-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) were held, the national capital will have a new mayor today. Following the high-stakes civic elections, the newly elected councillors will take their oath in the first municipal house. The mayor and deputy mayor will be elected during the session.

The post of mayor in Delhi sees five single-year terms on a rotation basis, with the first year being reserved for women, the second for the open category, third for the reserved category, and the remaining two also being in the open category.

The AAP had bagged 134 wards in the MCD polls and ended the BJP’s 15-year rule in the civic body. BJP won 104 wards to finish second, while the Congress won nine seats.

This was also the first municipal elections after the redrawing of the wards in the year gone by, the exercise being necessitated after the Centre brought a legislation in Parliament to unify the three local bodies.

According to PTI, three nominations — two from the AAP and one from the BJP — have been received for the post of mayor, MCD officials said. One candidate of the AAP is a back-up candidate.

The nominees for the post of mayor are — Shelly Oberoi and Ashu Thakur (AAP), and Rekha Gupta (BJP). Oberoi is AAP’s main contender.

The nominees for the post of deputy mayor are  — Aaley Mohammad Iqbal and Jalaj Kumar (AAP), and Kamal Bagri (BJP).

Earlier, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena nominated BJP councillor Satya Sharma as the presiding officer for the first House meeting to elect the mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Reacting to the appointment, AAP accused the BJP of being hell-bent on destroying all democratic traditions and institutions.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Congress will not take part in the city civic body’s mayoral election, its chief Anil Chaudhary said. Chaudhary said the Delhi unit of the Congress has unanimously decided not to support AAP or the BJP in the elections for the posts of mayor, deputy mayor and the leader of the house in the Municipal Corportion of Delhi.

“Delhiites who elected Congress councillors, voted for them to raise the issues affecting them and work for their welfare and not to fulfil the patrician agenda of AAP and BJP. Our councillors will walk out of the House before voting,” he said.

He further said the Congress will fight to protect the interest of the people. “Through secret ballot, Congress selected three Councillors for the leadership of the party in the MCD. While Nazia Danish will be the leader of the party in MCD, Sheetal will be her deputy and Shagufta Chaudhary will be the chief whip,” Chaudhary said.

With inputs from PTI

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