NEW DELHI: After a day filled with high-octane drama, the BJP clinched the final vacant seat of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s Standing Committee on Friday without councillors from AAP or Congress in attendance.
While BJP candidate Sunder Singh secured all 115 votes of the party’s councillors, AAP’s Nirmala Kumari scored nought. The qualifying quota was 58 votes. With this, the BJP has cemented its dominance on the influential panel with 10 members against AAP’s eight.
The contest for the last Standing Committee seat took place under unusual circumstances, marking the first time that neither AAP nor Congress councillors participated. AAP has a total of 124 councillors in the 250-member House, followed by BJP with 115, Congress with 9, and one independent.
The elections, scheduled for 1 pm on Friday, followed an order from the MCD Commissioner that appointed an Additional Commissioner as the presiding officer. However, Mayor Shelly Oberoi contested the legitimacy of the polls, declaring them illegal and unlawful in a letter to the commissioner.
Oberoi argued that it is within her authority to adjourn House meetings, and she had already postponed the session until October 5. Citing the provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the Mayor explained that the presiding officer must be the Mayor herself.
In her absence, the role falls to the Deputy Mayor, and if both are unavailable, a councillor is to be appointed. She emphasized that no other individual, could legally be designated as the presiding officer.
Despite AAP’s ojections, polling proceeded under the supervision of Additional Commissioner Jitendra Yadav, who was the Presiding Officer.