MCD ward committee election date out: Democracy wins, says BJP; AAP questions enthusiasm

The elections of the 12 ward committees are now scheduled to be between 10 am to 4 pm on September 4.

“The elections will be held per the procedure laid down in the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Procedure & Conduct of Business) Regulations, 1958,” the Municipal Secretary said in the office order while announcing the elections.

According to the regulations, the voting will take place through a secret ballot. Further, candidates interested in nominating themselves need to submit forms to the Municipal Secretary at least three days before the elections. However, candidates can withdraw their candidature at any point before the elections.

Welcoming the move, the Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that announcement of the ward committee elections is a victory for democracy in the city and claimed that the party is going to win the upcoming standing committee elections.

The standing committee is an 18-member body that acts as the civic body’s financial backbone, the elections of the ward committees will have a direct impact on which party gains a majority in the standing, as 12 out the 18 members who become a member of the standing committee are elected by these ward-committee. Each ward committee elects one member to become a part of the standing committee.

Responding to the BJP’s statement, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is at the helm at the civic body, said, “The BJP does not have a majority in MCD then how are they claiming to win? Are they (BJP) planning to buy votes? …it is high time that the corruption of BJP be investigated.”