Delhi MCD Elections: AAP Councillor Joins BJP Ahead Of Standing Committee Polls

AAP's Bawana councillor Pawan Sehrawat joined the BJP shortly before the polling to elect members of the MCD`s Standing Committee on Friday.

New Delhi: In a jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party two days after it won the polls for the mayor and deputy mayor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Bawana councillor Pawan Sehrawat joined the BJP on Friday. The switchover happened shortly before the polling to elect members of the MCD`s Standing Committee on Friday. Earlier, on Thursday, the House was adjourned for the 13th time since it convened post the MCD polls in December 4, last year, after councillors of the ruling AAP and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party came to blows over polling to elect members of the Standing Committee. The MCD session was adjourned till 10 am on Friday.

Amid the bedlam in the House on Thursday, Rekha Gupta, the BJP mayoral candidate who lost to AAP`s Shelly Oberoi in Wednesday`s polls, alleged broke the wooden panel where a microphone was mounted, while fellow party member Amit Nagpal allegedly tore off the ballot paper and threw the ballot box. 

#WATCH | Sloganeering by BJP councillors in Delhi MCD House ahead of the election of six members of the MCD Standing Committee pic.twitter.com/1Vuib67fqq

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2023

The chaos erupted during the election for the members of the standing committee when BJP alleged that during the secret voting, the councillors were taking photographs of the ballots through their mobile, which is a violation of the secret ballot. Henceforth, BJP has demanded the votes cast be rejected and fresh elections are conducted. 

Speaking to reporters later in the day, the newly elected mayor said a decision on the action to be taken against the two BJP councillors will be made at a meeting on Friday.

In the mayoral polls on Wednesday, Oberoi bagged 150 votes to the BJP candidate`s 116. The Delhi mayor was elected following three failed attempts amid the bickering between the treasury and opposition benches and repeated adjournments.