Delhi mayor election likely to be held on Jan 30

New Delhi: The mayoral election in Delhi is likely to be held on January 30 with the municipal corporation proposing the date for the exercise, official sources said on Wednesday.

The letter proposing this date from the office of the municipal secretary is expected to be sent to the Delhi Lt Governor on Wednesday, they said.

The mayoral election was earlier due on January 6, when the first meeting of the municipal House was held after the civic polls on December 4 for the 250 wards.

However, the proceedings were marred by chaos and uproar as AAP and BJP councillors jostled against each other, exchanged heated words and came to blows over administering oath to 10 aldermen, leading to adjournment without electing the mayor and the deputy mayor.

According to MCD officials, it was for the first time in the history of the civic body that a newly-elected House had failed to elect a mayor and deputy mayor in its maiden meeting.

"We have proposed a new date for holding the new session of the House during which the mayoral election is to be carried out. The letter seeking approval of this proposed date is likely to be sent to the LG House today," an official source said.

The AAP leaders and councillors had alleged that the decision to administer oath to aldermen before elected councillors was the BJP's "ploy" to get them voting rights. The party had earlier also alleged that the LG had appointed BJP men as aldermen instead of experts on civic matters.

"Article 243R of the Constitution clearly debars nominated members from voting in the House. Attempt to get them to vote in the House is unconstitutional," Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier tweeted.

Even though the AAP has a clear majority in the 250-member House, some BJP leaders have claimed that an intense contest could be witnessed for the mayor and deputy mayor posts since the anti-defection law does not apply to the MCD and floor-crossing could be possible.

The mayor's election is held through a secret ballot and councillors are free to vote for any candidate.

The AAP ended the BJP's 15-year rule in the MCD, winning 134 wards in the civic polls. 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.

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, party leaders have said. There are 18 members in the standing committee, of which 12 are elected from the zones and six from the House.