NEW DELHI: Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Friday directed the municipal secretary to initiate the election process for the civic body’s zonal ward committees and standing committee.
“You are now directed to start the Election process for the election of Chairmen, Dy. Chairmen of the Wards Committee and one member to the Standing Committee from the Wards Committee as per provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 (amended 2022) immediately,” Oberoi said in the letter.
The direction cited the Supreme Court’s August 5 ruling that the lieutenant governor had the power to nominate aldermen to the MCD. The absence of these committees over the past 21 months has long been blamed for policy paralysis in the civic body.
The Aam Aadmi Party which has majority in the MCD and the opposition BJP had been at loggerheads over the issue after which the matter went to the Court. As per the DMC Act, six out of the 18-member Standing Committee, MCD’s highest decision-making body, are elected from the House, while the remaining 12 are elected from the ward committees constituted in each of the 12 zones of the civic body.
On May 17 last year, the top court said that giving the LG the power to nominate aldermen to the MCD would mean that he could destabilise an elected civic body.
The AAP had earlier expressed apprehension that the nomination of the aldermen would give BJP members an upper hand in the committee.
The civic body will first hold elections for the ward committees in each of MCD’s 12 zones. After this, the elected councillors of the parties who are part of the ward committee will vote to elect a chairman, a deputy chairman, and a committee member, according to an MCD official.
The 10 aldermen are eligible to cast their votes to elect a standing committee member in their respective zones. They, however, do not have the power to vote in the House. Finally, the members of the house will vote for the remaining six members.