How the upcoming Delhi mayoral election may change the composition of MCD

What is the current composition of the MCD?

In the 2022 MCD elections, AAP secured a majority of 134 seats in the 250-member House. The BJP won 104 seats, with the Congress securing nine seats and three seats going to independent candidates.

However, the MCD’s tenure has been tumultuous, with both AAP and BJP aggressively poaching rival councillors. Given that the anti-defection law does not apply to MCD councillors, frequent defections have significantly altered the composition of the House.

Ahead of the Assembly polls last month, the BJP upped its representation to 120, while AAP’s tally had dropped to 121. Following the Assembly polls, these numbers dropped to 118 for the AAP and 112 for the BJP, with three AAP councillors and eight BJP councillors becoming MLAs. Following the defections of another four AAP councillors to the BJP, the AAP now has 114 councillors to the BJP’s 116.

Despite this wafer-thin lead, the BJP will likely enjoy a clear majority in the upcoming mayoral polls. The mayoral poll electorate comprises the elected councillors, 14 MLAs (nominated in proportion to party representation in the Delhi Assembly), seven Lok Sabha MPs (all BJP), and three Rajya Sabha MPs (all AAP). Due to its increased strength in the Delhi Assembly, 12 of the 14 nominated MLAs will be from the BJP, up from the solitary nominated MLA it previously had.

How has the AAP-led MCD performed?

The AAP’s 2022 success was centred on 10 poll guarantees, including eliminating Delhi’s three landfills, regularising contractual workers, and resolving parking issues. However, these remain largely unaddressed, given the party’s continued struggle with the BJP.

An initial point of contention was the appointment of 10 aldermen by LG VK Saxena, all affiliated with the BJP. The AAP-led Delhi government had opposed this and approached the Supreme Court, arguing that the LG should appoint aldermen based on the Delhi government’s recommendations. The court case delayed the elections of ward committees and the crucial 18-member Standing Committee, which oversees the corporation’s finance.

The Standing Committee is essential for approving proposals exceeding Rs. 5 crore. Of its 18 members, 12 are elected from MCD zones, while six are elected from the House. The court case postponed elections for six committee members from the house until after the 2023 mayoral polls. Both parties secured three seats each.

The elections to the ward committee, which addresses zonal or ward-related matters faced by the councillors, were postponed because the LG-appointed aldermen are also a part of its electorate. After the Supreme Court upheld the LG appointments, the ward committee elections were held in September 2024, with the BJP winning key positions in seven out of 12 zones. This increased its presence in the Standing Committee to nine against the AAP’s eight.

While the 10 LG-appointed aldermen helped the BJP win in the ward elections, they cannot vote in elections for the Standing Committee from the house. This, along with the nearly year-long tussle over the appointment of the final standing committee member, has left the committee’s formation and the corporation’s future in limbo. The 2024 Lok Sabha election saw the BJP’s Kamaljeet Sehrawat exit the standing committee to represent West Delhi, necessitating a bypoll for her seat. The election, subsequently held on September 27 on the LG’s orders, was boycotted by AAP councillors, leading to the BJP winning unopposed. This triggered a series of court cases from both parties.

How have these issues impacted its functioning?

The absence of a functioning Standing Committee has obstructed even basic administrative approvals, such as renewing garbage collection contracts, which often exceed Rs. 5 crore.

Similarly, the corporation has been unable to hire necessary horticulture staff and equipment despite a long-standing need for the same.

The deadline of AAP’s key poll promise—elimination of landfills—has been repeatedly delayed due to a lack of approvals, leading to multiple postponed deadlines.

The ongoing political gridlock has made it difficult for the MCD to function effectively, creating significant governance challenges for the residents of Delhi.

What does the MCD do?

The MCD addresses the distribution of civic services in the national capital. It is headed by the Mayor of Delhi, who presides over its 250 elected councillors. The corporation comprises 35 departments, including sanitation, horticulture, town planning, licensing, engineering and medical care.

The MCD-run public hospitals handle public health outbreaks, such as spraying medicines to control vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, and chikungunya. Additionally, the education department manages MCD-run schools. The veterinary department oversees the sterilisation of dogs, control of stray cattle, licensing of meat shops, and management of the monkey menace.

MCD councillors are ward-level representatives who are tasked at the grassroots level with ensuring the effective implementation of civic works in their respective areas. They primarily engage with residents to understand their concerns and ensure these concerns reach the civic body. During ward committee meetings—where the heads of all zonal departments are present—councillors can raise issues and hold officials accountable for deficiencies in carrying out tasks like sanitation, waste disposal, park maintenance, desilting, road maintenance, and the availability of functional street lights, among other things.

Every MCD councillor is allocated an area development fund, akin to MPs and MLAs. However, this amount is not fixed and is determined each year by the MCD councillor based on the corporation’s finances. Councillors are required to utilise this fund to carry out various developmental activities in their wards.