Delhi Mayor Election

February 22, 2023

The Delhi Mayor elections were postponed thrice due to the State Government – Central Government tussle. The Municipal elections were held in January 2023. The meeting of the Municipal house was adjourned thrice without electing a mayor. The mayor election couldn’t happen in the house due to AAP – BJP tussles. Shelly Oberoi won the election.

What is the issue?

The BJP members wanted the Aldermen to vote in the polls. Aldermen are those persons nominated by councillors or governors. In this case, the Governor nominated the Aldermen. Nominated persons act as members of the municipal house. AAP party members did not want the Aldermen to vote. So they went to the Supreme Court.

What did the SC say?

SC ruled that the nominated persons, that is, the Aldermen shall not participate in the election by the constitution.

Municipal House procedure

After electing the Mayor, the members will elect the Deputy Mayor. The members of the Standing Committee will also be elected on the same day. The Standing Committee is the most powerful body in the municipality. It takes the major decisions of the city governance.

Why did AAP-BJP fight over Aldermen?

The fight was over electing the members of the Standing committee. The standing committee has six members. AAP has 150 votes. The total strength of the house is 274. As AAP has a majority, it gets to appoint three members to the Standing Committee. BJP will appoint two members. Now one is left. BJP wanted to grab this leftover seat by allowing the alderman to vote. If BJP got three seats just like AAP, it would have got more powers in the standing committee.

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