 "Delhi Assembly's 20 sessions passed 25 bills, focused on urban dev in 5 yrs")
The seventh Delhi Assembly, with its 70 members, convened for an average of 15 days annually over its five-year term, delving into crucial issues like urban development, public infrastructure, and health. A total of 20 sessions were held, according to a detailed analysis conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Delhi Election Watch, released on Tuesday.
The report, compiled from data available on the Delhi Legislative Assembly’s official website and responses obtained via the Right to Information (RTI) Act, sheds light on various legislative activities and the performance of individual Members of the Legislative Assembly. The report evaluates the performance of the seventh Delhi Assembly from February 2020 to December 2024.
With the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5 and counting on February 8, here’s everything you need to know about the last five years of the Delhi Assembly.
Yearly breakdown of activities
2020: The Assembly did not convene for any sittings but passed eight bills, with only three questions being posed by MLAs.
2021: The Assembly sat for eight days, passing four bills, and fielded 198 questions.
2022: A total of 15 sittings were held, during which 11 bills were passed, and 522 questions were raised.
Also Read
2023: The Assembly convened for 18 days, passed six bills, and entertained 228 questions.
2024: The year saw the highest number of sittings at 25, with four bills passed, although no questions were recorded.
In total 25 bills were passed between 2020 and 2024.
Urban development key focus area for Delhi MLAs
The report highlights several critical areas of interest among the MLAs in regard to how questions were raised during the Delhi Assembly sessions. Urban Development emerged as the most queried sector with 130 questions.
Public Works Department received 98 questions, followed by Delhi Jal Board with 76 questions. Health and Education sectors saw 74 and 55 questions respectively, reflecting significant public concern.
Other areas such as revenue, food and supplies, transportation, Delhi urban shelter improvement board, and social welfare also garnered attention, with questions ranging between 37 and 52.
Performance by political parties
The Delhi Assembly consists of 70 members, directly elected from 70 constituencies. Among these, 62 are held by AAP and eightby BJP.
A total of 948 questions were raised by 71 MLAs (including those who have resigned or vacated seats for other reasons) during the term. The report notes a significant discrepancy in the questioning pattern between the two major political parties:
>Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs averaged 10 questions each.
>Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs were more active, averaging 41 questions each.
The top five MLAs who were the most inquisitive during the sessions, all from the BJP, include:
- Ajay Mahawar (Ghonda, North-East District) – 45 questions
- Mohan Singh Bisht (Karawal Nagar, North-East District) – 45 questions
- Abhay Verma (Laxmi Nagar, East District) – 44 questions
- Om Prakash Sharma (Vishwas Nagar, East District) – 41 questions
- Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (Badarpur, South District) – 40 questions