NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday alleged that the state election commission of Delhi has "withheld" the dates for civic polls in the national capital, "under pressure from the BJP at the Centre".
Sisodia made the accusation during a press conference, soon after State Election Commissioner (SEC) of Delhi, S K Srivastava, in a press meet, said, "We were about to announce the dates, but now it will take another five-seven days to announce them".
Earlier, the SEC was scheduled to announce the dates during the press conference at 5 PM.
"The term of the Houses of the civic bodies in Delhi are ending, and there was a pre-announced press conference where the dates were to be announced. Now, under pressure from the BJP at the Centre, the dates have been withheld," Sisodia alleged.
There was no immediate reaction from the BJP, the central government or the SEC.
The deputy chief minister further charged that never since Independence, has an "election commission acted in this manner".
"It (election body) has bent, and knelt down before the BJP at the Centre, after getting scared of it (BJP)," he charged.
Delhi has three civic bodies -- North, South and East Delhi municipal corporations -- and the last civic polls in the city were held in April 2017.
While the NDMC and the SDMC have 104 wards each, the EDMC has 64 wards.