4 min readNew DelhiOct 19, 2024 04:39 AM IST
First published on: Oct 19, 2024 at 04:33 AM IST
The mayoral election to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), expected to be held this month after a delay of more than six months, is set to be deferred further as incumbent Shelly Oberoi has announced that a routine meeting of the civic body will take place on October 28. While the AAP reasoned that the election cannot be held without a full House and many councillors are unavailable due to the festive season, the BJP alleged that Oberoi has deferred the election to attend a conference in Brazil on November 3 before her term ends.
The announcement on the routine MCD meeting was made through an official order from the office of Municipal Secretary Shiva Prasad.
Leader of Opposition, Raja Iqbal Singh said, “The mayor wants to travel to Brazil at government expense, which is why the election for the Dalit-reserved mayoral seat has not been conducted. The AAP also intends to collect funds during Diwali, which is another reason for delaying the mayoral election.”
However, the AAP stated, “Due to the festive season, most councillors will be unavailable for the upcoming elections. As a result, only the General Corporation Meeting for October is scheduled for October 28, with all adjourned items postponed to November to be addressed along with the General House session. The MCD, as the House of elected representatives, can only hold elections when councillors are present, making their availability essential for the process”.
With the mayor and deputy mayor’s seat reserved for the Schedule Caste (SC) candidates this year, Singh also accused the AAP government of depriving the community of its rights. “By not conducting the mayoral election this month, the AAP has proven that it is anti-Dalit. The municipal officers had sought approval to set the date for the mayoral election, but Mayor Oberoi has ordered the postponement.”
While the file to set a date for the mayoral election was sent by the Municipal Secretary’s office on October 13, it has been lying in the mayor’s office since then.
On October 16, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had, in a letter to Oberoi, expressed concerns over the delay in conducting the election. “After coming out of jail, I came to know that as part of a conspiracy, they (BJP) did not even conduct the mayoral elections in my absence. They deliberately snatched the rights of the people of the SC community. This cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. I request you to immediately hold the mayor elections and give the SC community its rights,” Kejriwal wrote.
Terming the letter “deceptive”, BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor questioned AAP’s intentions. “If he has the courage, he should dismiss Shelly Oberoi from the mayor’s post. Now it makes sense why Kejriwal’s three Dalit ministers — Raj Kumar Anand, Rajendra Pal Gautam, and Sandeep Kumar — must have left his party,” he said.
The ongoing delay will result in a shorter term for the next mayor and deputy mayor as they traditionally hold a one-year tenure. Fresh elections will be required in April 2025 as under the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, the mayoral polls are supposed to be held annually in April during the first session of the MCD House.
However, this year’s election was delayed due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha elections kicking in and a dispute over the appointment of a presiding officer. While the Election Commission granted the permission to hold the election stating there were “no issues with the MCC angle”, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena refused to appoint a presiding officer saying consultation with the Chief Minister was required. However, Kejriwal, who was the chief minister, was in jail then.
Delhi Mayor Shelly Obero (File Photo) 
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