Delhi MCD Mayor Election 2023 to be held on January 24; councillors to also take oath

MCD Mayor Election 2023: The new session dates come after the last session on January 6 was marred by a ruckus between AAP and BJP councillors.

MCD Mayor Election 2023: Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has approved the convening of the meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on 24th January. During the session, councillors will be administered the oath and an election for Mayor and Deputy Mayor will also be held. Apart from this, nominated member aldermen will also be administered oath on the same day.

The new session dates come after the last session on January 6 was marred by a ruckus between AAP and BJP councillors. While the AAP accused BJP of trying to sabotage the mayor poll, the saffron party alleged that AAP is evading responsibility for effective governance by playing the victim card despite the majority.

The first meeting of the MCD House on January 6 witnessed newly-elected AAP and BJP councillors exchanging blows, hurling chairs, climbing atop tables and indulging in continuous sloganeering to overpower the other side. The meeting was called to elect the mayor, deputy mayor and the members of standing committees. Cue to the ruckus, BJP Councillor Satya Sharma, the presiding officer, who was overseeing the proceeding, had adjourned the House on that day.

It was the first time in the history of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi that the House was adjourned before the election of the mayor and the oath-taking of the councillors. Both parties claimed that their councillors suffered injuries in the brawl.

The MCD House comprises 250 elected councillors. The BJP's seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi and the AAP's three Rajya Sabha MPs and 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly Speaker will also participate in the elections to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. Six members of the standing committee will also be elected.

The Congress, which has nine councillors, has decided not to take part in the voting. The AAP has a clear majority in the 250-member House.

The AAP ended the BJP's 15-year rule in the MCD, winning 134 wards in the civic polls in December. The BJP managed to win 104 wards. Later, Gajendra Daral, the Independent councillor from Mundka, joined the BJP. The electoral college for the election of mayor comprises the 250 elected councillors, seven Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs from Delhi and 14 MLAs. The Delhi Assembly Speaker has nominated 13 AAP and one BJP member to the House.

The total votes in the mayoral polls are 274. The numbers game favours the AAP, which has 150 votes against the BJP's 113. The Congress has nine votes for its nine councillors while there are also two Independents.

Though the Delhi BJP is unlikely to bag the mayor and deputy mayor posts, it will try to win three posts of members of the crucial standing committee. There are 18 members in the standing committee, of which 12 are elected from the zones and six from the House. (With PTI inputs)