Deferring MCD polls threat to democracy: CM to Modi

“On March 9, the State Election Commission sent a press release that they will announce the dates for the elections at 5 pm. Just an hour before that, at 4 pm, the Centre wrote to the SEC that they want to reunify the three municipal bodies, and asked that the elections be deferred. The SEC announced the same. It’s probably the first time since Independence that the Central government has directly told a State Election Commission to defer the elections,” Kejriwal said in an online press conference.

He said people were talking about why it had happened.

“For the last 7-8 years, the BJP has been at the Centre. If they wanted to reunify the three civic bodies, why wasn’t it done over these eight years? They suddenly remembered this one hour before the elections were to be announced? People are saying reunification is just an excuse, the aim was to postpone the elections. Because the BJP knew that there is an Aam Aadmi Party wave in the city, and the BJP will be swept away in the wave and lose,” he said.

“People are also questioning the connection between the elections and the reunification of the three civic bodies. Today there are three civic bodies with 272 wards in total. All municipal councillors sit in their wards. Even if you want to reunify, let the elections happen and they can all come together. What is the need to stop the elections?” said Kejriwal.

He said the aim was never to reunify but to defer the elections: “This is not good for the country. It’s not good that the Centre wrote to the SEC and asked them to defer the elections, and it is not good for democracy that the SEC bent to their will and postponed the elections.”

Appealing to Modi, Kejriwal said, “Governments will come and go. Tomorrow there will be neither you nor me. We are not important. People and parties are not important. The country is important. If we put pressure on the Elections Commission and get them to cancel the elections, it weakens them. And if they weaken, the country becomes weaker… At any cost, we can’t let institutions in the country become weaker. I appeal to you with folded hands not to cancel the elections. If they get cancelled, it’ll be a big threat to democracy.”

“Today it is being said that we want to reunify the three civic bodies, that’s why (we are) postponing the elections. Tomorrow before the Lok Sabha elections, if it is said the parliamentary system is not good, we should shift to a presidential system through amendments in the Constitution, will the elections be deferred? If there is some state Assembly election and it is said that we want to reunify two states, will the elections be deferred? Can the elections be deferred like this in a democracy? This is a very big question,” he said.

Kejriwal said he did not know “what pressure was put on the State Election Commissioner; what threat he was given, whether it was the Income Tax, ED, CBI” or “whether he was given some post-retirement laalach (temptation) since he is retiring in April”.

“I have no idea what happened. But he instantly agreed to postpone the elections within one hour? How will institutions work like this?” he said.

“I want to tell the State Election Commissioner — if you postpone the elections like this, there will be no democracy left. Why did we fight for Independence? For democracy? I don’t know what pressure or bribe you’re being faced with, but whatever it is please come forward and say it. The country will stand with you. But don’t bend down to anyone. It’s about the country and democracy,” he added.

On Wednesday, State Election Commissioner S K Srivastava had told The Indian Express that the elections would not be postponed. “The Central government raised a few issues that are yet to be legally examined by us and we will not be able to announce MCD election dates as of now. We will take some more days. We have to conduct the elections before 18th May… We are not postponing the elections. If at all unification of municipal corporations takes place before 18th May, then we have to examine the situation. That’s why we need time as of now to seek legal opinion on it,” he had said.

The Delhi State Election Commission (SEC) Thursday said it is seeking legal advice on if it can still hold elections for the three MCDs.