NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct municipal elections in Delhi according to the initially conceived schedule before the expiry of the tenure of the three municipal corporations in Delhi in May 2022.
The plea seeks directions to the SEC to expeditiously conduct the municipal elections in Delhi, as per their initial proposal, in a free and fair manner. The municipal elections are due to be held in April with the terms of the three civic bodies coming to an end in May. The petition says that it raises an important question as to whether the State Election Commission can be influenced by an unofficial communication sent by the central government to change the schedule of municipal elections which the commission was otherwise absolutely prepared to schedule and conduct in the said time.
According to the plea, the SEC issued a letter on March 9 declaring that the general election to the three municipal corporations of Delhi would be held in April 2022. It further stated that a press conference regarding the same was to be organised later in the day, at 5 pm.
“However, precisely half an hour later, by way of a press note, it conveyed that it had received some communication from the Lt. Governor of Delhi, conveying that the government of India was intending to pass a legislation to merge the trifurcated municipal corporations of Delhi. In light of this communication, the press conference to declare the election schedule was indefinitely postponed; the municipal elections consequently being deferred. The brazen influence of the government of India over the State Election Commission and its flagrant meddling with the conduct of municipal elections forms the subject matter of this writ petition,” the petition reads.
"It is the case of the petitioner that the government cannot dictate to the Election Commission, an independent constitutional body, to defer the schedule of municipal elections, much less on the basis of unofficial communication," it added.