Mcd Polls

AAP's Mahesh Khichi elected as Delhi mayor, Ravinder Bharadwaj deputy mayor

The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Mahesh Khichi was elected as the next mayor of Delhi on Thursday, marking a significant victory for the ruling party in the national capital ahead of the Assembly polls due early next year. As Khichi took his seat, the jubilant AAP councillors filled the air with the "Jai Bhim" slogan, celebrating the victory of the Dalit candidate in a tough contest. Khichi defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Kishan Lal by a wafer-thin margin of three votes, receiving 133 votes to the latter's 130. Two votes were declared invalid, with a total of 256 votes cast for the mayor's post. Following its defeat in the mayoral poll contest, the BJP withdrew from the race for deputy mayor, clearing the way for the AAP's Ravinder Bharadwaj to secure the position unopposed. The saffron party had fielded Nita Bisht for the deputy mayor's post. "Many congratulations to Mahesh Kumar ji on being elected as the new Mayor of Delhi. Work diligently for the people, take forward the

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 ove

Mayoral polls to be held during MCD House meeting next month, says Oberoi

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) mayoral polls, which have been pending for almost six months, will be held during the House meeting next month, Mayor Shelly Oberoi announced on Monday as she adjourned the current session. Soon after Oberoi arrived in the House during the day, opposition party councillors raised slogans over issues such as pollution and the delay in the mayoral polls, leading to a ruckus. The councillors demanded to hold the mayoral election, which is reserved for a Dalit candidate in the third term and has been pending since April. Amid the commotion, Oberoi said, "Be assured the elections will be held in the next meeting. Right now, let us focus on the agenda to be discussed." However, as opposition councillors continued to raise objections, Oberoi passed several proposals and adjourned the House until the next meeting. The House commenced 45 minutes later than its scheduled time of 11 am due to the mayor's late arrival, which drew protests from several

SC questions Delhi LG's hurry in holding MCD Standing Committee election

The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the "tearing hurry" on the part of the lieutenant governor's office to exercise executive powers for holding the election for the sixth member of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's Standing Committee. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and R Mahadevan asked the LG's office to not hold elections for the post of chairman of the Standing Committee till it hears the plea of Mayor Shelly Oberoi against the September 27 Standing Committee polls. "We will view it seriously if you hold an election for the MCD Standing Committee chairman," the bench told senior advocate Sanjay Jain, appearing for the LG's office. It said that initially it was not inclined to entertain this petition but had to issue notice because of Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's decision to exercise his powers under Section 487 of the Delhi Municipal Act. "Democracy will be in danger if you start using executive powers under Section 487 of the DMC Act. How can you interdict the ...

Voting for MCD standing committee polls starts, AAP, Congress absent

Voting for the vacant seat in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's standing committee, its highest decision-making body, began on Friday with Additional Commissioner Jitender Yadav presiding over the process. While councillors of the ruling AAP abstained from the voting process, Congress corporators were also not present in the MCD House. Earlier in the day, Mayor Shelly Oberoi, in a press conference, termed the election "unconstitutional" and announced that AAP councillors would not take part in the poll. On Thursday, Congress Delhi chief Devender Yadav said they would not participate in the polls. Before the commencement of voting, an MCD official laid out rules for the casting of votes. He pointed out that no mobile phones were allowed in the House during the elections -- a point of contestation because of which the polls were postponed on Thursday.

Delhi Assembly adjourned after ruckus over MCD standing panel poll issue

Aam Aadmi Party legislators caused a ruckus in the Delhi Assembly on Friday over the issue of MCD standing committee polls following which the House was briefly adjourned. As AAP MLAs continued with their slogan shouting, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel adjourned the assembly for 15 minutes. Later, the AAP MLAs staged a demonstration near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of the Delhi Assembly and raised slogans against the BJP and the lieutenant governor. "The L-G is trying to interfere in the constitutional proceedings and making a mockery of the system," AAP MLA Dilip Pandey alleged. The election of one member of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) standing committee was directed to be held at 1 pm with an additional municipal commissioner as presiding officer. The AAP has termed the election "illegal and null and void" while reasoning that only the mayor, deputy mayor or a senior councillor can preside over the MCD House meeting to hold the poll.

Delhi Mayor asks for postponement of standing committee member election

Just an hour ahead of the poll to elect the last vacant standing committee seat, Mayor Shelly Oberoi directed MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar to stall the election on Friday so that it could be held on October 5, as per her earlier instructions. Following disruption over frisking of the councillors on Thursday, the election to the MCD Standing Committee was postponed till October 5 by Mayor Shelly Oberoi. Later Lt Governor VK Saxena, however, overturned the postponement of the elections and directed MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar to hold the election on Friday at 1 pm. In a letter, Oberoi asked the commissioner to ensure due legal compliance in holding the standing committee election on October 5. She also asked him to declare the poll scheduled for Friday to be "illegal and unlawful". Oberoi, in her response to the commissioner, termed the LG's directive unconstitutional. "This order is illegal, unconstitutional as it is a gross violation of the statutory scheme of the DMC Act and

AAP trying to take away Dalits' rights: Delhi BJP president on MCD polls

The MCD order said that the matter was again placed before the Lt Governor as directed by him

Delhi MCD Commissioner orders Standing Committee member election today

Earlier, the election for the standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was postponed on Thursday as the house meeting was adjourned

MCD polls on Sep 26 to determine who will dominate Delhi's civic body

A crucial day awaits the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Thursday, as the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP vie for dominance in the key Standing Committee elections. The election, set to fill the sole vacancy in the 18-member Standing Committee, the MCD's highest decision-making body, will take place on Thursday. This vacancy was created after BJP councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat resigned following her election from the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat earlier this year. In a setback for the AAP on Wednesday, three of its councillors switched sides and joined the BJP just a day before the Standing Committee election. Dilshad Colony Garden councillor Preeti, Green Park councillor Sarita Phogat, and Madanpur Khadar East councillor Praveen Kumar joined the BJP changing the numbers dynamics in the corporation. The BJP said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has lost majority in the MCD House and hence the "moral authority" to be in power. "The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has today lost majority among

MCD seeks EC's permission for Delhi mayoral polls on April 26

This move comes in light of the ongoing implementation of the Model Code of Conduct due to the Lok Sabha elections

Last chance to pay salaries, pension to staff or will wind up MCD: Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court on Friday gave a last opportunity to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to set its house in order by augmenting resources and paying arrears of salaries and pension to employees or else it will wind up the civic body. The high court said the matter relating to non-payment of salaries to staff and retired employees is dragging on for long and added that it was the civic agency's statutory obligation to pay employees in accordance with the 7th Pay Commission. "The court has made it clear to the MCD counsel that it is not going to wait for the MCD to find ways and means of augmenting its resources. The liability to pay the 7th Pay Commission wages is a statutory obligation. If the MCD is not in a position to pay the basic wages then consequences will follow," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora said. The court was hearing a batch of pleas relating to the non-payment of salaries and pensions to MCD employees and retired staff

Delhi govt will regularise all MCD employees, says CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said all temporary employees of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would be regularised. Addressing an MCD programme at the Thyagaraj Stadium where he handed over appointment letters to 317 newly regularised employees, the chief minister said employees of Delhi's municipal corporation received salaries on the first date of the month "after 13 years". "God is with us and with His blessings and the blessings of you all, I am optimistic that we will make MCD the best municipal corporation in the world," he asserted. MCD employees are getting salaries on time for the last two months and the civic body's tax collection has also increased because it is being led by an "honest dispensation", Kejriwal said. He said MCD employees and its officers will make Delhi the cleanest city in the country in the next two to three years. Mayor Shelly Oberoi and Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj were also present at the event. "I met with

MCD standing committee row: No prejudice in re-polling, Delhi Mayor to HC

Mayor Shelly Oberoi Friday asserted no prejudice will be caused if re-polling is held for choosing the six members of the MCD standing committee, as the Delhi High Court reserved its verdict on BJP councillors' challenge to the re-election. The high court had on February 25 stayed the re-election on the petitions filed by BJP councillors Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Shikha Roy. While the senior lawyers for the petitioners had earlier contended the Mayor, who is also the returning officer, acted in a malafide manner when she called for re-election upon finding the election results "politically unpalatable", senior counsel representing Oberoi Friday underscored that the re-polling was essential to ensure free and fair elections following the "ruckus" in the House during the polls held on February 24. "There is no prejudice in re-polling. Please test if it will cause prejudice to them (petitioners). They say the ballot is going to BJP then this will again happen," senior advocate Rahul Mehra

MCD secy recommends fresh election, claims poll sanctity 'badly bruised'

The MCD secretary has recommended fresh polls for electing members of the standing committee, claiming the sanctity of electoral process was "badly bruised" last night, amid a row over the mayor allowing councillors to carry mobile phones while casting votes. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House was adjourned earlier in the day as the deadlock, with BJP councilors opposing their AAP counterparts carrying mobile phones while casting their votes. AAP leaders have supported the mayor's decision, while BJP members look "strong exception" to it, saying it "vitiated" the electoral process. In a report filed to mayor Shelly Oberoi and commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, the MCD secretary has also said that enough ballot papers not available for electing six members of standing committee, and it was important that the election is conducted afresh. "The sanctimony of the election process has been badly bruised," the municipal secretary's report sates, giving various reasons to support th

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

Heavy security deployment at MCD headquarters for Delhi mayoral poll

Authorities have stepped up security inside the municipal House and on the Civic Centre premises in Delhi for the mayoral poll, scheduled to begin shortly. Several civil defence personnel, including women members, have been deployed in the chamber of the House. Civic Centre is the headquarters of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Heavy deployment of paramilitary force has been done on the premises of the Civic Centre. After much delay since the high-stakes civic polls in Delhi, the stage is set for the election of a new mayor following a Supreme Court order. During the municipal House, 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 previous 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

LIVE: Delhi LG gives nod to convene House, hold mayoral poll on Feb 22

"Recommended MCD mayor elections to be held on 22 Feb," Kejriwal said in a tweet earlier in the day. Stay tuned for latest updates

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

Nominated members can't go for election, says SC on MCD mayoral polls

The top court was hearing a petition filed by AAP leader Shelly Oberoi in connection with the election of mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)