Tight security at MCD civic centre as ward committee polls underway
NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has bolstered security measures in and around the civic centre in the national capital as elections for 12 ward committees of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commence.
According to a senior police official, one company of the paramilitary force, along with the Delhi Police Rapid Action Force, has been deployed to manage any potential disturbances during the polling.
The long-awaited elections mark the first since the unification of the MCD in 2022. Uncertainty surrounded the polls scheduled for September 4, as the appointment of 12 presiding officers had not been finalized until late Tuesday.
MCD Mayor Oberoi had declined to appoint presiding officers, citing her reservations about participating in what she deemed an "undemocratic election process."
Intervention by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena led to a late Tuesday development, in which he directed the MCD commissioner to appoint deputy commissioners as presiding officers for the ward committee polls.
This directive followed a central gazette notification granting the Delhi Lieutenant Governor authority to constitute various boards and commissions, including the Delhi Commission for Women and the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Acting on the LG’s order, the MCD commissioner notified the appointment of deputy commissioners as presiding officers and instructed the Municipal Secretary to ensure the elections proceed as scheduled.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won uncontested in the City SP zone, where the BJP did not file nominations due to its limited representation with only two elected councillors.
Key AAP winners include Mohd. Sadiq (Chairman), Kiran Bala (Deputy Chairman), and Puardeep Singh Sawhney (Standing Committee member) from the SP City Zone, as well as Rakesh Joshi (Chairman), Jyoti Gautam (Deputy Chairman), and Ankush Narang (Standing Committee member) from the Karol Bagh Zone.
Voting will take place in two clusters across MCD zones: Councillors from Rohini, Najafgarh, West, South, and Central zones will cast their votes between 10 am and 4 pm in the Hansraj Gupta Auditorium on the first floor of the agency headquarters. Councillors from Karol Bagh, Shahdara South, Shahdara North, Civil Lines, and Narela zones will vote simultaneously in the Satya Narayan Bansal Auditorium on the second floor.