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MCD House to reconvene to hold standing committee members' election

The MCD House will reconvene on Friday to make another bid to hold election of members of the municipal corporation's standing committee, a day after it was adjourned following a protracted pandemonium triggered by clashes between the AAP and BJP councillors. The proceedings to conduct the election for picking members of the committee -- the highest decision-making body of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) -- had begun around 6.15 pm on Wednesday, hours after AAP's Shelly Oberoi was elected as Delhi's new mayor. However, the sitting, punctuated with over a dozen adjournments, vociferous protests by BJP members, high-voltage drama and high-decibel sloganeering, spilled over to the next day, until the mayor adjourned it for the day. Several members of the BJP and the AAP on Wednesday night had exchanged blows and hurled plastic bottles at each other in the chamber of the MCD House, and the situation turned uglier on Thursday morning, even as the stalemate over the election ...

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Unable to digest defeat in mayoral polls, BJP resorting to hooliganism: AAP

With the MCD House being adjourned for the day on Thursday amid ruckus over the standing committee election, the AAP accused the BJP of resorting to hooliganism as it was unable to digest its defeat in the MCD mayoral polls. Several members of both the parties exchanged blows and hurled plastic bottles at each other in the chamber of the MCD House on Wednesday night. The chaos continued on Thursday morning forcing Mayor Shelly Oberoi to adjourn the House till 10 am on Friday. While the BJP is protesting against the mayor's decision to allow members to carry mobile phones to the booth area during the election of the MCD panel, the AAP said there is no ban on mobile phones while casting vote. Addressing a press conference at the civic centre, Oberoi alleged that some BJP councillors threw the ballot box and tore ballot papers during the election for the standing committee. "It's shameful what the BJP councillors did. The ballot box was thrown, ballot papers were torn and I was attack

Clash at MCD House: AAP, BJP councillors throw boxes, exchange blows

As per the visuals, the situation became so chaotic that the Councillors started throwing ballot boxes in the well. Some could be seen pushing others while some exchanged blows

BJP accuses AAP of cross-voting, obstructing Standing Committee polls

As the voting for MCD standing committee carried on till late Wednesday night amid adjournments, BJP accused AAP members of obstructing the election process and also of cross voting in the election for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor which underwent earlier in the day. The AAP rubbished the claim saying the question doesn't arise and what matters is that AAP won both those posts. Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor claimed Aam Aadmi Party councillors "openly cross voted" in mayor and deputy mayor elections earlier in the day. "There were 150 votes of AAP while two independents and one Congress Councillors openly announced their support to AAP taking their tally to 153 but party mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi got just 150 votes. "While BJP which had 113 votes got 116 votes in mayor election clearly showing three Aam Aadmi Party councillors voted for BJP today," Kapoor claimed. He also alleged that AAP never had the intention to let election for the Standing Committee

AAP announces candidate Shelly Oberoi's victory in Delhi mayor election

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday claimed that AAP candidate Shelly Oberoi has won the MCD mayoral polls. The voting was held at the Civic Centre. "The goons lost, the public won. Many congratulations to all the workers as AAP candidate has become the mayor in Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Once again whole hearted gratitude to the people of Delhi. Many many congratulations to the first Mayor @OberoiShelly of AAP," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Fourth attempt to elect Delhi's new mayor today: Here is the story so far

Delhi has been on tenterhooks for the last two months as the BJP, and the AAP have been fighting to get their respective candidates to sit on the top post in the civic body

After much delay, stage set to elect new MCD mayor following SC order

After much delay since the high-stakes civic polls in Delhi, the stage is set for the election of a new mayor on Wednesday following a Supreme Court order. The municipal House is slated to begin at 11 am during which the election to the posts of mayor, deputy mayor and six members of the standing committee will be held. The exercise to hold elections to the top post will be carried out after three failed attempts. Last week, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena gave his nod to convene the municipal House for holding the mayoral election following the apex court order. The top court on February 17 ordered the issuance of a notice within 24 hours for convening the first meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to fix the date of elections for the mayor, the deputy mayor and the members of the standing committee of the civic body. The court issued the order after hearing a plea moved by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi, who had sought an early cond

Ahead of MCD meeting, BJP claims anything can happen in mayor election

A day before the MCD meeting to elect the city mayor, Delhi BJP leaders on Tuesday asserted that "anything can happen", hinting that the party was hopeful of springing a surprise despite AAP's majority and the Supreme Court ruling against voting by aldermen. The arithmetic favours the Aam Aadmi Party, which has 150 votes against the BJP's 113, out of a total of 274 votes in the mayoral polls. The BJP wants that Delhi gets its mayor at the earliest but AAP on one pretext or another is stalling it, charged Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva. "We will ensure that the city gets its mayor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) meeting tomorrow. But, anything can happen there," Sachdeva said when asked about the prospects of the BJP candidate Rekha Gupta. In the civic body polls in December last year, the AAP ended BJP's 15-year rule over MCD winning 134 of the 250 wards. The BJP could manage to win 104 wards while Congress got nine and independents won three. Delhi BJP

CBI to question Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in excise policy case on Feb 26

The CBI has issued a fresh notice to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to appear for questioning in the excise policy scam case on February 26, officials said Monday. The notice was issued on his request as he had sought deferment of his previously scheduled questioning on February 19, they said. Sisodia, who holds the finance portfolio in the Delhi government, had cited the ongoing budget exercise to defer his questioning and had also sought a date during the last week of February, they said. Addressing a press conference, Sisodia, a senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, said that he has been called for questioning on February 26 and will appear before the probe agency. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed its first chargesheet against seven people on November 25 last year in which Sisodia was not named as an accused. The officials said in its further probe into the money trail and links between liquor traders, AAP leaders, middlemen and politicians, the CB

Delhi riots: SC refuses to interfere in AAP leader Tahir Hussain's case

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere with the framing of charges against former AAP leader Tahir Hussain under anti-money laundering law in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. A bench headed by Justice V Ramasubramanian said at the stage of framing of charges, a court cannot get into details, which is to be seen at a later stage. The case is at the stage of framing of charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Therefore we do not see reasons to interfere at this stage. It is made clear that the (trial) court will follow the law laid down by this court, said the bench also comprising Justice Pankaj Mithal. The top court was hearing the ex-councillor's appeal against the Delhi High Court order rejecting his petition which challenged the trial court order for framing charges against him under Sections 3 (offence of money laundering) and 4 (punishment for the offence of money laundering) of PMLA. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, representing t

Delhi Lt Governor trying to act against Vidhan Sabha committees: AAP

The AAP on Monday alleged that Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena is trying to "act" against Vidhan Sabha committees and has written to the chief secretary and the assembly seeking details on their functioning. Party national spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj told a press conference that the Petitions Committee of the Delhi assembly had recommended action against officials on three different issues. But the Lt Governor (LG), instead of taking action against them, decided to take action against the committees, he alleged. "The Delhi LG is trying to act against Vidhan Sabha committees. He has written to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and the Delhi Vidhan Sabha questioning how the committees are functioning and whether they are going against the law," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said. "He feels that they are interfering in the work of government officials. The LG has problems with the committees. This makes it clear that whatever the officials do to interfere in the functioning of the government is

AAP slams EC on Shiv Sena ruling, calls it part of BJP's 'Operation Lotus'

The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday condemned the decision of the Election Commission of India to recognise the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena and said it was an extension of the Bharatiya Janata Party's "Operation Lotus". "Operation Lotus" is a term used by opposition parties alleging foul play on the part of the BJP to topple governments in states by poaching legislators and bringing about splits in ruling parties. The Election Commission (EC) on Friday allotted the name 'Shiv Sena' and its poll symbol 'bow and arrow' to the group led by CM Shinde, in the process delivering a big blow to Uddhav Thackeray, whose father Bal Thackeray founded the outfit in 1966. Institutions like the EC are acting as though choreographed to singularly benefit the BJP, whose culture is one of naked power grab through any means, AAP Mumbai president Preeti Sharma Menon said in a statement here. "The conduct of EC will even put the proverbial 'caged parrot' to

Delhi LG gives nod to convene MCD House, hold mayoral poll on February 22

Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena has given his nod to convene the municipal House on February 22 to hold the election for the post of mayor, Raj Niwas officials said on Saturday. The LG's nod came hours after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recommended to him that the mayoral election be held on the said date. The development comes a day after the Supreme Court ordered the issuance of a notice within 24 hours for convening the first meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to fix the date of elections for the mayor, the deputy mayor and the members of the Standing Committee. In a shot in the arm for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the apex court also held on Friday that the members nominated by the LG to the MCD cannot vote to elect the mayor. "Recommended MCD mayor elections to be held on 22 Feb," Kejriwal said in a tweet earlier in the day.

AAP says LG supported BJP in delaying mayor polls, demands his resignation

The Aam Aadmi Party staged a protest on Saturday outside the Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's house here demanding his resignation for allegedly supporting "BJP's hooliganism" and delaying the mayoral polls. Several AAP leaders including MLA Atishi and Durgesh Pathak gathered at Raj Niwas Marg with banners and raised slogans demanding LG's resignation. "The order of Supreme Court on the Delhi mayoral poll is a tight slap on the face of the BJP. What the LG has done so far in Delhi is unconstitutional and after what has been said in the court order, the LG should step down," Pathak said at the protest. The Supreme Court had ruled that nominated members of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) cannot vote in the mayoral election. Pathak alleged that several decisions were taken by the LG "unconstitutionally" and that he also supported "BJP's hooliganism". "First, the aldermen were appointed by the LG, bypassing the Delhi government. Then, they tried to get the aldermen to vote in

CM Kejriwal recommends LG to hold Delhi mayoral election on Feb 22

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday recommended to Lt Governor V K Saxena that the mayoral election be held on February 22. This comes a day after the Supreme Court ordered issuance of a notice within 24 hours for convening the first meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to fix the date of election for mayor, deputy mayor and members of the Standing Committee. In a shot in the arm for the ruling AAP, the apex court on Friday also held that members nominated by the LG to the MCD cannot vote to elect the mayor. "Recommended MCD Mayor elections to be held on 22 Feb," Kejriwal said in a tweet. According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957, the mayor and the deputy mayor are to be elected in the very first session of the House after the civic polls. However, it's been over two months since the municipal elections were held on December 4 and Delhi is yet to get a mayor. The MCD could not elect the mayor on three previous occasions amid tumult as

BJP accuses AAP govt of wasting Rs 63 cr on publicity of Shopping Festival

Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana slammed the AAP government for "announcing events without any preparation and wasting public money on their publicity"

Delhi Mayor polls: Nominated members can't vote in elections, says SC

The court further directed that a notice for the election of mayor and the first meeting of the MCD shall be issued within 24 hours

AAP govt resorts to hunger strike in Srinagar amid anti-encroachment drive

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday said it is on hunger strike here to demand a formal order from the Jammu and Kashmir administration to spare poor residents and shopkeepers from the ongoing anti-encroachment drive. "Our vice-president Nazir Ahmad Ittoo started the hunger strike last night but due to security reasons, we were not allowed to sit at the Press Colony. We had to shift to our office," AAP youth leader Mudasir Hassan said. "The hunger strike will continue till a formal order is issued by the administration," he added. Hassan said the administration was making statements day in and day out that poor people will not be affected by the demolition drive. "We are asking the administration to issue a formal order to this effect," he said, adding that the party was not against an anti-encroachment drive against rich and influential land grabbers.

Kejriwal approves studying jammer technology for deployment in Delhi jails

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has given his nod for the formation of a panel to study the best jammer technologies across the globe so that they can be deployed in Delhi jails to disable mobile signals, officials said on Wednesday. The committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of DG (Prisons) and comprises professors from IIT Madras professor and IISC Bangalore, as well as DRDO scientists, IB and SPG officers as members, they said. This committee will suggest the technology to Delhi government for implementation of jammer system, including 5G in jails, they added.