NEW DELHI: BJP became the single largest party in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi with three AAP councillors switching their allegiance to the party on Saturday, opening up the possibility of a triple engine government in Delhi.
BJP, which is also in office at the Centre, had won the assembly polls on February 8, securing 48 seats while AAP won 22 in the 70-member House. In MCD, following the crossing over of three councillors, BJP’s strength has risen to 116 while AAP has 114 seats and Congress eight in the 250-member body. The three councillors who joined BJP were Anita Basoya from Andrews Ganj, Nikhil Chaprana from Hari Nagar and Dharmveer Singh from R K Puram. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the city would soon experience triple-engine governance.
Out of 22 councillors from three parties who contested the assembly elections, 11 won, with BJP securing eight seats and AAP winning three. MCD now has 12 vacancies, including that of Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who was elected an MP.
Defections setback for AAP, BJP likely to win Mayor poll
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is progressing rapidly, and now it is Delhi’s turn. The people of Delhi, who have given a majority mandate to BJP in the assembly elections, will soon begin to see the results once the new govt is formed. To build a beautiful and developed Delhi, continuous efforts will be required to complete the development projects that were stalled in the past 10 years and realise BJP’s vision for a progressive Delhi,” said Sachdeva, asserting that individuals committed to Delhi’s development are choosing to join BJP. No statement had been received from AAP on this issue till late on Saturday.
The political landscape shifted when an AAP councillor (Ram Chander from Shahbaad Dairy) defected to BJP on Jan 28, taking the party’s strength to 113. With Saturday’s development, BJP’s strength has increased to 116, enhancing the party’s chances of clinching the mayor’s post.
Officials pointed out that Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act does not require by-elections for vacant seats prior to mayoral elections. If these positions remain unfilled before the poll in April, BJP’s chances of securing the mayoral post will increase, unless there is cross-voting or Congress supports another party, which seems unlikely given their stance in the assembly elections. The anti-defection law does not apply to MCD.
The mayoral elections are scheduled annually during the first meeting of the civic body’s new session in April with no reservation criteria applicable for the post this year. The election for the deputy mayor’s position will be conducted at the same meeting and will be open to all general candidates.
The mayoral election process in Delhi involves an electoral college consisting of 250 councillors, 10 MPs (seven from Lok Sabha and three from Rajya Sabha) and 14 MLAs chosen by the assembly Speaker. Additionally, 10 aldermen are part of the process but lack voting rights in house proceedings or mayoral elections.
Previously, AAP dominated with 62 assembly seats. It has nominated 13 MLAs along with one BJP representative. They also had support from three AAP Rajya Sabha MPs. However, the scenario has changed now with BJP holding 48 assembly seats and AA. Before the mayoral polls, the assembly speaker will confirm the nominations with expectations that the governing party will nominate more BJP MLAs for MCD (potentially 12). Combined with support from seven LS members, BJP is poised to gain a 15-16 vote advantage in the forthcoming election.
The Nov mayoral elections, which faced an eight-month delay, saw AAP clinch a close victory. Their candidate, Mahesh Kumar Khichi, edged past BJP’s Kishan Lal by three votes. The final tally showed AAP garnering 133 votes against BJP’s 130. This result proved surprising, considering AAP’s initial strength of 143, including two Congress councillors who switched allegiance, compared to BJP’s 122 before the civic centre proceedings began.
Leader of Opposition and former mayor Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh demanded the resignation of mayor Mahesh Kumar on ethical grounds. He stated that AAP, which has lost public support in the Assembly, has now also lost the trust of the Municipal House. ” The BJP’s councillors have increased to 116, while AAP now only has 114 councillors. In this situation, without a majority in the House, the Mayor has no right to remain in office and should resign on ethical grounds,” he said.