A fracas between Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party councillors that broke out overnight during elections for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s powerful standing committee resumed on February 23 morning, after which mayor Shelly Oberoi adjourned the house for the day.
The chaos started on February 22 evening after newly elected mayor Oberoi allowed councillors to carry their mobile phones inside the polling booth while voting for the standing committee members. The AAP and BJP members exchanged words, jostled, hurled objects at each other and traded blows.
BJP councillors stormed the well of the house, saying the rules didn’t allow mobile phones to be carried into the polling booths. They alleged AAP members were taking pictures of ballot papers to keep a check on cross-voting.
Although AAP won the MCD elections two months ago, voting for the standing committee is key because it determines which political party will control the civic body. While the mayor is the nominal head of the MCD, the standing committee has the executive powers.
Fourth disruption
Oberoi, a member of AAP, claimed BJP councillors tried to attack her during the election process on February 22.
“BJP councillors just tried to attack me while I was conducting the Standing Committee elections, as per Supreme Court orders! This is the extent of BJP’s Gundagardi that they are trying to attack a woman Mayor,” Oberoi tweeted late at night.
This was the fourth time in two months that chaos, fist fights and shouting have erupted in the house and disrupted proceedings. After AAP won the municipal polls in December, the house convened on January 6 and 24 and February 6, but couldn’t elect the mayor and deputy mayor amid a row between BJP and AAP councillors over voting rights for nominated members, or aldermen.
The Supreme Court settled the matter, ruling that aldermen – all 10 of them from the BJP – could not vote in the elections for the mayor and deputy mayor posts. However, the aldermen may hold the key to which party wins a majority in the standing committee.
Earlier on February 22, Oberoi won the mayoral poll, defeating the BJP's Rekha Gupta by a margin of 34 votes. AAP's Aaley Mohammed Iqbal won the deputy mayoral poll, defeating the BJP's Kamal Bagri.
With the mayor and the deputy mayor elected by 4:30 pm, the house reconvened at 6:10 pm to elect the standing committee members. However, the voting was stopped after the scuffle broke out.
According to reports, many councillors slept at the civic centre to attend proceedings in the morning. However, the situation turned ugly again as members threw ballot boxes at one another.
Videos shared on social media showed BJP mayoral candidate Rekha Gupta breaking mics.
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