DEADLOCKED FOREVER?

Think of MCD, think of mess inside and outside the House. Finally, the mayoral elections are set to take place on November 14 after over a five-month delay. The hold-up has become synonymus with the civic body in the past few years. Prabhat Shukla details all the factors that has led to gridlock in the city's civic body functioning.

- Prabhat Shukla

AFTER months of procedural setbacks, the long-delayed election for the positions of the mayor and deputy mayor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been set for November 14. Incumbent mayor Shelly Oberoi authorised the decision to hold a special meeting to address the election, which has been on hold since April. This decision, made public through a notice from the municipal secretary, announced that the meeting will occur at the Civic Centre at 2 pm, with additional monthly meetings scheduled for the same day to address pending MCD matters.

The procedural delays can be traced back to the requirement for inputs from Delhi's chief minister (CM) before appointing a presiding officer for the election. This requirement led to an impasse in April when Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena refused to appoint a presiding officer without CM Arvind Kejriwal's input, citing it as a necessity under the protocol. At that time, Kejriwal was in Tihar Jail on charges related to the state excise policy, adding to the complexity of the situation. This administrative standoff left the MCD's executive positions unfilled, with Oberoi, originally elected in February 2023, extending her term as mayor.

The MCD's bylaws stipulate that the third year of the five-year municipal term is reserved for a candidate from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category, a factor that has shaped both major parties' strategies. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have already announced their nominees for the mayoral and deputy mayoral positions. AAP's choice for mayor is Mahesh Khichi from Dev Nagar, with Ravinder Bhardwaj from Aman Vihar for deputy mayor. Meanwhile, the BJP has put forward Kishan Lal from Shakurpur as their candidate for mayor and Neeta Bisht from Sadatpur for deputy mayor.