AAP afraid of infight coming out, resorting to excuses to delay MCD mayor election: BJP

New Delhi: The BJP on Monday accused the Aam Aadmi Party of resorting to excuses to stall the mayoral election, as the MCD House was adjourned for a third time in a month without completing the poll process.

Minutes before the MCD House meeting, the BJP paraded its nine councillors at its Delhi Unit office, alleging that AAP was trying to poach them with money.

Leaders from the BJP said their councillors, aldermen, and MPs will stage a protest outside the AAP headquarters here on Tuesday.

The real face and character of AAP was exposed with its leaders trying to poach BJP councillors, working president of Delhi BJP Virendra Sachdeva said.

"There is a rift in the Aam Aadmi Party. It talks about bringing revolution by making tall claims on TV, but its leaders do not have faith in their top leadership, that is why they are constantly postponing the elections," he charged.

The nine BJP councillors – Monika Pant, Manish Chadha, Sushil Jaunti, Sandeep Kapoor, Dharamveer Sharma, Chandan Singh, Brajesh, Umang Bajaj, Shashi Yadav — alleged that they were approached by AAP with offer of money and political posts, if they cross vote in its favour.

BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, who addressed a press conference with other party colleagues, rejected AAP's opposition to allow aldermen (nominated councillors) to vote in the mayoral poll.

The law mandates the Central government to decide who will vote in the MCD House, he said.

The AAP has slammed the decision, made by presiding officer Satya Sharma, a BJP councillor.

"Aam Aadmi Party is trying to suppress infighting over the election of mayor. Our sources in AAP told us that the councillors from whom crores of rupees were collected for tickets to contest the MCD polls are now asking their money back in exchange for voting in favour of the party candidate for the post of mayor," Bidhuri claimed.

Bidhuri, also the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, alleged that the AAP was scared of a "possible defeat" in the election of mayor, and of standing committee.

Delhi BJP MLA Vijender Gupta said although the AAP is opposing voting rights to the aldermen, it had nominated 10 members each in the three municipal corporations in 2017 -- they were merged in 2022 -- and "grabbed" the posts of chairpersons of zonal committees of the civic bodies with their help.

"The decision allowing voting rights to aldermen was taken by the presiding officer of the MCD House who is authorised to do so by the Act of the Parliament," Gupta said.

Delhi BJP general secretary Harsh Malhotra alleged that AAP councillors created a scene when two AAP MLAs nominated to the House -- Sanjiv Jha and Akhilesh Pati Tripathi -- were denied voting rights for being convicted in court cases.

They refused to leave the House when asked by the presiding officer and created a ruckus over the issue, Gupta charged.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in his turn alleged that it is BJP which is blocking the mayoral polls. He also accused the BJP of interfering in the MCD's work and taking "wrong" decisions with the help of some officers.

Addressing a press conference, Sisodia said that the pandemonium in the house shows that the BJP does not believe in the Constitution, or laws. "They believe only in hooliganism." The AAP has said that the party will go to the Supreme Court for a court-monitored election in the MCD House.

The first two sessions -- held on January 6 and January 24 -- were also adjourned by the presiding officer without electing a mayor following a row marred by acrimonious exchanges between the members of the BJP and the AAP.