BJP announces its candidate for the MCD election. The election is expected to be held on January 6.
On Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced its candidates for its Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) mayoral election. The party elected Rekha Gupta for the mayoral post, a three-time councillor from Shalimar Bagh, and Kamal Bagdi for the Deputy Mayor post.
Gupta is competing against Shelly Oberoi, a mayoral candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Aaley Muhammad Iqbal has been chosen by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party for the Deputy Mayor post.
The AAP, which currently has the most council members in the civic body, has declared Aaley Mohammad Iqbal as its candidate for deputy mayor and Shelly Oberoi as its candidate for mayor. Ms. Iqbal is a councillor from Chandani Mahal, while Ms. Oberoi is from East Patel Nagar.
According to the reports, the mayoral election is expected to be held on January 6. As per the MCD act, the mayor will be a woman in the first year.
In the December 4, election the AAP won an overwhelming victory in the Delhi Municipal Corporation by defeating the BJP. The AAP won 134 of the 250 wards in the municipal corporation, while the BJP party made a determined effort to win 104 of them. Congress, the grand old party, came in third with only nine seats.
Announcement of BJP
The BJP has also announced its candidates for the MCD’s standing committee, including Pankaj Luthra (Jhilmil), Gajendra Daral (Mundka), and former South Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor Kamaljeet Sehrawat (Dwarka).
Since the anti-defection rule does not apply, council members are allowed to support any candidate for mayor, regardless of their party membership. By secret ballot, the election will be conducted.
The electoral college used to elect the mayor includes 250 council members, 10 Delhi-based members of Parliament, and 14 members of the assembly, or one-fifth of the assembly. In order to represent the AAP and the BJP in the MCD, the Delhi Assembly Speaker on Friday nominated 13 AAP and one BJP member.
The AAP has three Rajya Sabha representatives from Delhi, whereas the BJP has seven Lok Sabha representatives. The house of councillors consists of 10 members who have been appointed by the lieutenant governor (administration). However, they are not allowed to vote.
The 250 municipal council members will take their oaths, and elect the mayor and deputy mayor, as well as six other members of the standing committee, during the first MCD meeting on January 6.
According to the reports, the election for the mayor, deputy mayor, and members of the standing committee will take place again in the new financial year, therefore the mayor will serve until April.
The unified corporation and the newly elected council members will begin their five-year terms at the MCD’s first meeting.
