In a significant development, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has declared the election for the Standing Committee member, announced by the MCD Commissioner, as "illegal". The Mayor has written a formal letter to the Commissioner, stating that the election scheduled for Friday is "unconstitutional" and "invalid." Oberoi also instructed the MCD Commissioner to conduct the election for the sixth member of the Standing Committee on October 5. The election has garnered attention due to the intense political dynamics at play in the civic body. Five members of the Standing Committee have already been elected, and the upcoming election will determine the final member, completing the committee.
AAP to boycott polls
Following disruption over the 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. Reacting to this, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia announced that AAP will boycott the election for the Standing Committee member, if it is held on Friday. Mayor Oberoi also affirmed that the election will only be held on October 5, as previously decided. She also stated that if the elections were conducted today, AAP would consider taking legal action and approach the court.
Uproar in Delhi Assembly
Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the Delhi Assembly on Friday as AAP MLAs protested against the alleged forced conduct of the MCD Standing Committee member election. They also accused authorities of undermining democratic processes. The disruption also led to the Assembly session being adjourned for 15 minutes.
During the uproar, AAP MLA Dilip Pandey addressed the Assembly, claiming that democracy is being "murdered" in the MCD. He pointed out that Mayor Shelly Oberoi had adjourned the MCD session and scheduled the next meeting for October 5. However, late at night, the Lieutenant Governor (LG) issued a letter demanding that the election be conducted by 10 am the next day, followed by an order to hold the election at 1 pm. "This is against democracy. An official has been made the presiding officer. Will a mere bureaucrat now run the Assembly?" Pandey stated.
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