Delhi mayor elections remain in limbo despite CM Kejriwal out on bail

New Delhi: The mayoral polls in Delhi continue to remain in limbo even as chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose signature was awaited for holding the elections, has been out on an interim bail for nearly 11 days.

The sources at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said the file to seek Lt Governor V K Saxena's approval for the appointment of the presiding officer is yet to move from the municipal secretary's office.

A fresh request will have to be sent to the Raj Niwas, which will pass through the Delhi chief secretary and the urban development department before reaching Chief Minister Kejriwal for appointing the presiding officer to hold the mayoral polls.

"So far no new request from the existing mayor's office has been received to seek the LG's approval for conducting the Delhi mayoral elections. A fresh file for appointing the presiding officer will have to be moved from the MCD to the LG office," the sources said.

The MCD postponed the mayoral polls in April citing non-appointment of presiding officer by the LG.

Saxena had refused to appoint a presiding officer in "the absence of inputs from the chief minister" who was in jail in connection with the excise policy-linked money laundering case.

The Supreme Court on May 9 provided a conditional 21-day interim bail to Kejriwal to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. He has to surrender to the jail authorities on June 2, a day after the seven-phase polling will be over.

According to the bail conditions, the chief minister is required to obtain the Lt Governor's sanction to sign any official file in case of urgency during the interim bail period. He is also barred from visiting his office or the Delhi Secretariat.

The mayoral elections were marked under "urgent businesses" by the AAP-led MCD in the agenda circulated for the House meeting in which the polling was scheduled to take place.

"The LG office has not received any new request from the chief minister's office regarding the MCD mayoral elections," the Raj Niwas sources said.

At present, Mayor Shelly Oberoi and Deputy Mayor Aaley Muhammad Iqbal continue to hold the office till the next mayor and deputy mayor are not elected.