NEW DELHI: Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has given his nod to convene the municipal House on February 22 to hold the election for the post of mayor, The development comes after the directions from the Supreme Court which said that a notice must be issued by authorities concerned to hold the first meeting of the MCD within 24 hours of the issuance of court orders. The SC added that the notice must say that mayor’s poll will be on the agenda.
Following the election, the court said, the mayor should take over the proceedings from the presiding authority to hold elections for the deputy mayor and members of the standing committee.
Also, in a setback to the BJP, the court upheld the Article 243R of the constitution and Section 3(3) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 to rule that persons nominated by the Lieutenant Governor (or aldermen) do not have the right to vote in the polls.
Although the MCD polls took place in December, the mayor’s election was postponed thrice in over two months due to a tussle between AAP and BJP. The fourth date was deferred by SC as the hearing was underway.