D-Day for MCD: Crucial Standing Committee Election Amid AAP-BJP Tussle

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi faces a pivotal election on Thursday as the AAP and BJP compete for a key Standing Committee seat. The election follows a political shift with three AAP councillors switching to BJP, jeopardizing AAP's majority. The outcome could alter the balance of power in the MCD.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) braces for a critical election on Thursday, where the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are set to contest for control over the key Standing Committee.

This election aims to fill a single vacancy in the 18-member Standing Committee, created after BJP councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat resigned following her election from the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat earlier this year.

In a blow to AAP on Wednesday, three of its councillors - Preeti, Sarita Phogat, and Praveen Kumar - defected to the BJP, altering the corporation's numerical dynamics. With this shift, the BJP claims that AAP has lost its majority and moral authority to govern in the MCD.

Leader of Opposition in the MCD Raja Iqbal Singh stated, "The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has today lost majority amongst the elected councilors of Municipal Corporation of Delhi and thus has no more moral right to be in power. The MCD at present has a effective strength of 249 elected councillors and the AAP now has only 124 councillors with it while majority mark is 125. Hence, it has clearly lost majority."

Currently, AAP holds 124 councillors in the 250-member house, while BJP has 115, Congress 9, and there is one independent councillor. In the Standing Committee, the BJP has already secured 7 seats while AAP holds 5.

Adding current standings, the BJP holds 9 seats and AAP 8 in the committee, including results from last year's election. The final seat will tip this balance, impacting the committee's functionality significantly.

If the BJP wins, it will cement its dominance. AAP's win, however, might still pose challenges without the chairperson's voting right except during tiebreakers. Any 9-9 deadlock could be resolved through a lottery system. Chairperson and deputy chairperson elections will follow the Standing Committee polls separately.

Delayed by nearly 1.8 months due to a political deadlock, this election proceeds after a Supreme Court ruling validated 10 aldermen appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, thus improved BJP's prospects.

(With inputs from agencies.)