NEW DELHI: With less than 45 days in hand, the Mayor for the reunified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will have the shortest term in the history of the civic body since its constitution in 1957, if elected.
Officials said that the first Mayor of reunified MCD will have a tenure till March 31 and if the mayoral polls happen before that, then it will be the shortest term ever for any elected Mayor of the civic body.
According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, mayoral elections should be held every year. Section 35 of the act mandates that “the corporation at its first meeting in each year must elect one of its members to be the chairperson to be known as the Mayor and another member to be the deputy Mayor of the corporation.”
However, the act refers to a year that commences on 1st day of April. So the House will have to choose another Mayor after March 31. If a Mayor is elected before that, then her tenure will be concluded on the last day of March.
Over the five-year term of MCD, the office of the Mayor is reserved in favour of a woman candidate in the first year and for a member belonging to a Scheduled Caste in the third year. The election for Mayor, deputy mayor, and six members of the standing committee of the MCD was about to take place on February 16 after a nod from Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena. However, the Supreme Court has put a stay on the date after February 17.
The petitioner had moved the apex court on February 7, a day after the MCD House failed to elect a mayor for the third time following a ruckus as the AAP objected to the presiding officer saying that the aldermen nominated by the LG will vote in the election. The first meeting of the newly—elected MCD House was also adjourned on January 6 amid clashes between AAP and BJP members.
The order was given by the apex court on a plea filed by AAP mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi seeking early holding of the mayoral poll after the civic body failed to elect its head three times this year despite election results being declared.
Tenure till March 31
Officials said that the first Mayor of reunified MCD will have a tenure till March 31 and if the mayoral polls happen before that, then it will be the shortest term ever for any elected mayor of the civic body. According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, mayoral elections should be held every year.