Satya Sharma reappointed as presiding officer for MCD mayoral polls

The stage is set for a high-stakes mayoral election on Thursday, as BJP councillor and former East Delhi mayor Satya Sharma has been reappointed as the presiding officer, according to civic body officials.

Sharma, who also presided over the previous mayoral polls in December 2022, will again oversee the proceedings, they said.

This year's contest pits AAP's Mahesh Khichi, the Devnagar councillor, against BJP's Kishan Lal from Shakurpur for the mayoral seat, with AAP's Ravinder Bhardwaj from Aman Vihar and BJP's Nita Bisht from Sadatpur competing for deputy mayor.

The new mayor, a Dalit candidate, will serve a truncated five-month term due to political infighting.

Since the last election, the AAP's count in the 250-member MCD House has dropped to 125, just below the majority mark, while the BJP's tally has risen to 113. The Congress holds eight seats and three are held by independents.

In the previous elections, the AAP secured 134 out of 250 seats ending the BJP's 15-year rule over the MCD.

The previous election, where AAP's Shelly Oberoi won the mayoral post, was marked by high drama, with a ruckus erupting over the lieutenant governor's nomination of 10 aldermen, which the AAP criticised as favouring the BJP.

Amid escalating tensions, the swearing-in of the councillors was delayed and Oberoi took office only in February.

With Sharma returning to oversee Thursday's elections, both the AAP and BJP are prepared for what could be another eventful session in the House.

The elections will be held at 2 pm on Thursday following a seven-month delay, triggered by repeated disruptions in the MCD House and a stand-off between the AAP and the BJP.

The process was further delayed as then-Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was in judicial custody in the excise policy case, which stalled the necessary sign-off, pushing the elections originally planned for April.