Can hold bypolls to 13 MCD wards in June: AAP govt to HC

The AAP government today told the Delhi High Court that it was possible to hold bye-elections to vacant seats in 13 municipal wards of the national capital in June as funds have not been allocated for the polls in this financial year.
The Delhi government told a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath that funds would be allocated in the next financial year and thereafter, the bye-elections can be held.
The government also said that during the months of May and June, schools would be closed and hence, the issue of manpower would also be solved as teachers can be deployed for election work.

Senior standing counsel for Delhi government, Rahul Mehra, also suggested another alternative of advancing the 2017 MCD polls to September-October 2016 when elections can be held for all municipal wards.
The court, however, was of the view that it would not be appropriate to keep the 13 wards vacant for such a long time and said it will pass orders in the matter and reserved its verdict.
The court last week had told the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold bye-elections to vacant seats in 13 municipal wards of the national capital by April 30.

The direction had come after SEC submitted that it was committed to holding bye-elections to the vacant seats in four months, if the state government provides the requisite manpower, police personnel and funds.

The government had then sought time to get back to the court on whether requisite manpower could be provided to the state election commission for holding the polls.
The court was hearing 20-year-old law student Sanjana Gahlot's PIL on bad civic condition in her village as drain water was overflowing on all streets and filth was spread everywhere with the entire village suffering due to foul smell.
Seven wards in South Delhi Municipal Corporation, four in the north and two in the east, are currently without councillors.
On November 2, the government had said it was for the Delhi election panel to take a final decision on holding of the municipal bypolls.

The commission had sought a direction to provide requisite funds and resources to conduct elections to the vacant 13 municipal seats out of the total 272 wards in all three municipal corporations in Delhi.