AAP, BJP trade allegations over postponement of mayoral polls

Tribune News Service

Anshita Mehra

New Delhi, April 26

Uproar prevailed in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House session today after the abrupt postponement of the mayoral elections scheduled for Friday.

Instead of the anticipated electoral process, a tumultuous scene unfolded as councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) engaged in a bitter exchange of words, raising slogans and accusations before proceedings could even begin.

The postponement of the elections, which were slated for Friday, sent shockwaves through the MCD House, triggering an hour-long heated exchange of slogans between the AAP and BJP councillors. The decision to delay the polls came late Thursday night due to the failure to appoint a presiding officer for the elections, plunging the chamber into chaos as blame was hurled at the opposing parties.

AAP councillors initially gathered near the Ambedkar statue at the corporation headquarters, launching slogans against the BJP before assembling at the House to continue their tirade against their political rivals, labelling them “Dalit Virodhi BJP.” Accusations of the BJP being anti-Dalit surfaced, with the AAP asserting that the opposition party was endeavouring to prevent a candidate from the reserved category from assuming the mayoral position.

Upon Mayor Shelly Oberoi’s belated arrival at the House, there was a lot of resentment as BJP councillors surrounded her seat, demanding her presence. Mayor Oberoi, in turn, directed her ire towards Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, accusing him of “murdering the Constitution” and exploiting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s judicial custody as an excuse for the postponement.

With tensions at a boiling point, Oberoi adjourned the meeting until the next session, leaving the chamber in a state of disarray. The postponement of the mayoral polls, attributed to “unprecedented” circumstances by LG Saxena, further exacerbated the already charged atmosphere within the MCD House.

Reflecting on the day’s events, Oberoi lamented the perceived interference in the electoral process, asserting, “Our candidate is a Dalit and the BJP doesn’t want a Dalit to be the mayor.” She hinted at potential legal action, stating, “We will take legal opinion and if needed, move court,” underscoring the intensity of the political standoff gripping the MCD.

Meanwhile, as the fallout from the postponed elections reverberates, the MCD finds itself embroiled in a political maelstrom, with the prospects of rescheduled polls and ongoing power struggle looming large over the city’s governance.

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