Even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) downplays five of its MCD councillors switching to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, the development could hit the party as it comes ahead of the crucial ward and standing committee elections to the civic body. Sources from the AAP said, “It will make a difference to the party and at the same time, none at all…the current development will only lead to a difference during the zonal elections. But there is a worry that more councillors might follow the footsteps of these five. However, there will be no implication on other party matters due to the councillors' move…as of now, no internal discussion has taken place in the party in this regard.” The AAP councillors who switched allegiance include Ram Chander from Shahbad Dairy ward, Pawan Kumar from Bawana ward, Manju Devi from Badarpur ward, Sugandha from Tughlakabad ward, and Mamta from Harkesh Nagar ward. Coming on the back of Supreme Court’s August 5 verdict, which upheld the Lieutenant Governor's (L-G) authority to nominate aldermen without consulting the Delhi government, the defection by five AAP councillors is likely to help the BJP put up a stronger challenge before the ruling AAP in the upcoming standing committee elections. On August 23, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi had directed the Municipal Secretary to begin the process of conducting the zonal ward committee elections for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The ward committee elections, which have been stalled for the past 18 months due to a political deadlock, are soon to get underway in each of the MCD’s 12 zones. “The election process should be done before September 20,” an MCD official said. Each zone’s elected councillors will vote to elect a chairman, a deputy chairman, and a standing committee member, with 12 of the 18 standing committee seats to be filled through these elections. Boost to BJP The AAP now has 128 councillors at the MCD while the BJP has 111. With the defecting councillors hailing from the Narela and Central zones, areas where the BJP had limited influence, the move is expected to strengthen the party's position in the upcoming elections. In the Narela Zone, the BJP, now bolstered by two AAP defectors, has gained a majority. Similarly, in the Central Zone, with three AAP councillors joining the BJP, the party is now positioned to secure the ward committee seats without any external support. “This will lead to a 9-9 tie for the elections of the standing committee chairman. It is too early to say anything but if the BJP gets one more zone then they will bag the standing committee chairmanship. Otherwise, a draw of lots will take place,” said a senior MCD official who monitors the elections process.
