MCD ward elections : Close contest between BJP and AAP, fate of standing committee to be decided

INDC Network : Delhi : MCD ward elections: Close contest between BJP and AAP, decision on the fate of the standing committee

There was a close contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the ward elections of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday. In these elections, the BJP won in seven zones, while the AAP was limited to five zones. These elections were important because its results will have a deep impact on the formation of the permanent committee and the selection of its chairman.

The Standing Committee of the MCD is the highest decision-making body of the municipal corporation, and has financial and administrative powers. While it is extremely important for the BJP to capture the post of chairman of the committee, it is equally important for the AAP. As of now, the BJP has 9 councillors in the standing committee and the AAP has 8 councillors. Now, one more seat is up for election, which was previously occupied by BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat. If the BJP wins this seat again, the post of chairman will be secured for the BJP. If the AAP wins this seat, the chairman will be decided through lottery.

BJP's lead and AAP's challenge: BJP won in Narela, Civil Lines, Keshav Puram, Shahdara North, Najafgarh, Shahdara South and Central zones. Whereas, AAP won in Karol Bagh, West, South, City SP and Rohini zones. This election was also important for BJP because in the last MCD election, AAP had to face strong competition. This time, BJP demonstrated its organizational strength and won in seven zones. This election proved to be a challenging contest for AAP. Although AAP won in five zones, it will need to win this decisive seat to further strengthen its position in the Standing Committee.

Delay in election process and eventual resolution: The election process had already been delayed by 19 months. The Supreme Court's August 5 verdict cleared the way for the MCD elections, but yet at the last moment, Mayor Shelly Oberoi refused to appoint a presiding officer. This resulted in doubts over the timely conduct of the elections. However, the situation was cleared up with the intervention of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. He ordered all MCD zone deputy commissioners to appoint presiding officers and directed that the elections be held on time. Following this, the MCD elections were announced on August 28 and nominations were filed till August 30.

Role of AAP and BJP councillors: BJP won the posts of presidents of ward committees from Narela and Central zones through councillors Pawan Sehrawat and Sugandha who had recently joined from AAP. Apart from this, a tough fight was witnessed between AAP and BJP in Civil Lines zone in which BJP won all the three posts by a margin of one vote.

Political allegations and counter-allegations: Amid these elections, the AAP targeted the BJP and accused it of indulging in "politics of hate" for killing a 19-year-old Hindu man in the name of cow protection in Haryana. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh made serious allegations against the BJP and said that the BJP government is responsible for this murder.

The tough fight between BJP and AAP in the MCD ward elections has given a new direction to Delhi politics. All eyes are on the result of the last seat of the Standing Committee, as this will not only elect the chairman of the MCD, but will also affect the political equations of BJP and AAP in Delhi. It will be interesting to see in the upcoming elections which party wins this decisive seat and establishes its dominance in the Standing Committee.