The municipal councillors of Delhi will gather on Monday, 6 February, at the Municipal Corporation headquarters for the third time in less than two months to elect the new mayor of the city.
The election was stalled, first on 6 January and then on 24 January, after a fight between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors over the speaker's decision to administer oath to 10 nominated members (aldermen) before the elected councillors.
Councillors of AAP and BJP at the Delhi Municipal Corporation headquarters on 6 January 2021.
(Photo: PTI)
So, what is the process to elect the mayor of Delhi? Why did the AAP and BJP fight? Who are the mayoral candidates from both the parties? And why does the MCD not have a mayor since the past eight months? The Quint explains.
Weeks After AAP-BJP Fist Fight, Who Will Be New Delhi Mayor? Here's All We Know
1. First, Why Are the Mayor Polls Important?
In the MCD elections held in December 2022, the AAP won 134 out of 250 wards, with the BJP securing a distant second position with 104. Arvind Kejriwal's party, riding on a high anti-incumbency vote, wrested power from the BJP, which had helmed the national capital’s municipal body for the past 15 years.
After the results were announced, Kejriwal thanked the people of Delhi for the clear mandate and “bringing change.”
The BJP, on the other hand, banked on the allegations of corruption against AAP in the Delhi Excise Policy, and videos of Satyendar Jain getting preferential treatment in jail provided BJP with enough ammunition.
It is, however, pertinent to note that the BJP, even in defeat, managed to increase its vote share by 3 percent as compared to the 2017 civic body elections.
The BJP polled 39.09 percent of the total votes in the 250 wards. In 2017 municipal polls, the party had secured 36.08 percent votes.
The Mayor elections, in such a scenario, have become a battle of prestige for both the parties.
Expand2. What Happened on 6 January?
On 6 January, elections for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the MCD could not be held as per schedule as the first meeting of the House had to be adjourned after AAP and BJP councillors exchanged blows.
The clash took place over Pro-tem Speaker Satya Sharma's decision to administer oath to 10 nominated members (aldermen) before the elected councillors.
The 10 nominees, all BJP members, are expected to play a crucial role in the Mayoral elections. AAP councillors claimed that the move was BJP’s ploy to get the aldermen to vote in the mayoral elections, even when the law does not permit nominated members to vote.
According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, the administrator (the Lieutenant Governor) has the right to nominate the Aldermen, but the AAP said that the nominated members will be chosen by the Delhi government, citing the 2017 precedent.
In 2017, the 10 aldermen were chosen by the Delhi government but then LG Anil Baijal had signed on the names to ratify the process.
Expand3. How Do the Numbers Add Up?
The House is scheduled to begin from 11 am at the Civic Centre – headquarters of the MCD.
The electoral college for the election of mayor includes:
250 elected councillors
7 members of the Lok Sabha
3 members of the Rajya Sabha
1/5th of the members of the Delhi Assembly (14 MLAs) nominated by the Speaker by rotation every year
Delhi Assembly speaker on Friday, 20 January, nominated 13 AAP MLAs and one BJP MLA for representation in the MCD.
Besides 134 councilors, the AAP has three Rajya Sabha MPs, 13 MLAs in the electoral college (150 votes), where as the BJP has 105 councillors, seven Lok Sabha MPs and one MLA (113 votes).
While the alderman are also part of the House of councillors, they do not have voting rights in the House.
Expand4. Know Your Candidates
While the AAP named Shelly Oberoi and Aaley Mohammed Iqbal as the candidates for the post of Mayor and deputy Mayor respectively, the BJP's candidates for the posts are Rekha Gupta and Kamal Bagri.
A first-time councillor from East Patel Nagar ward – Shelly Oberoi – is a visiting professor in the Delhi University (DU). Ph.D. from the Indira Gandhi National Open University's (IGNOU) School of Management Studies, Oberoi is a lifetime member of the Indian Commerce Association (ICA).
BJP candidate Rekha Gupta is the general secretary of the party's Delhi unite. She is also the National Vice President of the BJP Mahila Morcha. She has previously served as the Mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Gupta graduated from DU's Daulat Ram College and served as the President and General Secretary of the Delhi University Students' Union in the 1996-97 session.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)
Expand
First, Why Are the Mayor Polls Important?
In the MCD elections held in December 2022, the AAP won 134 out of 250 wards, with the BJP securing a distant second position with 104. Arvind Kejriwal's party, riding on a high anti-incumbency vote, wrested power from the BJP, which had helmed the national capital’s municipal body for the past 15 years.
After the results were announced, Kejriwal thanked the people of Delhi for the clear mandate and “bringing change.”
The BJP, on the other hand, banked on the allegations of corruption against AAP in the Delhi Excise Policy, and videos of Satyendar Jain getting preferential treatment in jail provided BJP with enough ammunition.
It is, however, pertinent to note that the BJP, even in defeat, managed to increase its vote share by 3 percent as compared to the 2017 civic body elections.
The BJP polled 39.09 percent of the total votes in the 250 wards. In 2017 municipal polls, the party had secured 36.08 percent votes.
The Mayor elections, in such a scenario, have become a battle of prestige for both the parties.
What Happened on 6 January?
On 6 January, elections for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the MCD could not be held as per schedule as the first meeting of the House had to be adjourned after AAP and BJP councillors exchanged blows.
The clash took place over Pro-tem Speaker Satya Sharma's decision to administer oath to 10 nominated members (aldermen) before the elected councillors.
The 10 nominees, all BJP members, are expected to play a crucial role in the Mayoral elections. AAP councillors claimed that the move was BJP’s ploy to get the aldermen to vote in the mayoral elections, even when the law does not permit nominated members to vote.
According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, the administrator (the Lieutenant Governor) has the right to nominate the Aldermen, but the AAP said that the nominated members will be chosen by the Delhi government, citing the 2017 precedent.
In 2017, the 10 aldermen were chosen by the Delhi government but then LG Anil Baijal had signed on the names to ratify the process.
How Do the Numbers Add Up?
The House is scheduled to begin from 11 am at the Civic Centre – headquarters of the MCD.
The electoral college for the election of mayor includes:
250 elected councillors
7 members of the Lok Sabha
3 members of the Rajya Sabha
1/5th of the members of the Delhi Assembly (14 MLAs) nominated by the Speaker by rotation every year
Delhi Assembly speaker on Friday, 20 January, nominated 13 AAP MLAs and one BJP MLA for representation in the MCD.
Besides 134 councilors, the AAP has three Rajya Sabha MPs, 13 MLAs in the electoral college (150 votes), where as the BJP has 105 councillors, seven Lok Sabha MPs and one MLA (113 votes).
While the alderman are also part of the House of councillors, they do not have voting rights in the House.
Know Your Candidates
While the AAP named Shelly Oberoi and Aaley Mohammed Iqbal as the candidates for the post of Mayor and deputy Mayor respectively, the BJP's candidates for the posts are Rekha Gupta and Kamal Bagri.
A first-time councillor from East Patel Nagar ward – Shelly Oberoi – is a visiting professor in the Delhi University (DU). Ph.D. from the Indira Gandhi National Open University's (IGNOU) School of Management Studies, Oberoi is a lifetime member of the Indian Commerce Association (ICA).
BJP candidate Rekha Gupta is the general secretary of the party's Delhi unite. She is also the National Vice President of the BJP Mahila Morcha. She has previously served as the Mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Gupta graduated from DU's Daulat Ram College and served as the President and General Secretary of the Delhi University Students' Union in the 1996-97 session.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)