NEW DELHI: BJP’s Satya Sharma and Sunder Singh were elected as the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Thursday. Sharma, currently a councillor from Gautampuri ward in North East Delhi, is a three-time councillor who has also served as mayor in the erstwhile East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).
After a gap of two-and-a-half years, the Standing Committee of the MCD has finally been formed following the election. The committee’s formation is expected to accelerate key developmental and administrative initiatives that had been delayed for a prolonged period. Currently, the BJP enjoys a clear majority in the Standing Committee, with 11 out of 18 members from the party.
The 18-member Standing Committee is a crucial panel that oversees the finances of the corporation. Any project exceeding Rs 5 crore must be approved by the committee. In the absence of this panel, several policy decisions and sanitation-related projects had been stalled.
Sharma was elected chairperson with 11 votes, defeating Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Praveen Kumar, who secured 7 votes. For the post of vice-chairperson, Singh defeated AAP’s Mohini Jeenwal with a similar margin—11 votes to 7. All 18 committee members participated in the vote.
The election was presided over by Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, who congratulated the newly elected chairperson and vice-chairperson. He said, “Now, with the formation of the Standing Committee, we will collectively achieve new milestones in development.”
After the election, Sharma stated that no development work had taken place in the last two and a half years, but now positive steps would be taken toward development. “Everyone’s cooperation will be essential,” she said, adding that their goal is to work with dedication to make Delhi clean and beautiful.
Notably, the AAP won the MCD elections in 2022, ending 15 years of BJP rule. AAP’s Shelly Oberoi served as the first and second mayor, followed by Mahesh Khichi as the third. However, in the fourth mayoral polls held in May this year, BJP’s Raja Iqbal Singh defeated the AAP candidate. Following the victory, the BJP had announced its intention to ensure the formation of a Standing Committee—a panel that holds complete control over the corporation’s finances but had remained non-functional since 2022—to accelerate the city’s development.