New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Saturday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after its victory in the election for the lone vacant seat on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) standing committee. Atishi said the election is “illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic.” She said that the MCD’s functioning is governed by the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act of 1957, which outlines rules and byelaws that must be adhered to.
According to Atishi, the Act specifies that elections should occur in the Corporation’s meeting and only the Mayor has the authority to decide the time, place and date of such meetings, as outlined in Regulation 3, sub-section 2. Apart from that, Section 76 of the Act states that the Mayor presides over meetings, and in their absence, the Deputy Mayor takes charge. Atishi accused the BJP of disregarding these legal provisions, saying, “The BJP does not care about the constitution, laws or even democracy.”
AAP, Congress boycott polls
On Friday, BJP’s Sunder Singh won the standing committee election, while AAP’s candidate Nirmala Kumari received no votes after AAP and Congress boycotted the polls. Despite Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi’s directive to hold the election on October 5, the election proceeded under the supervision of the MCD commissioner.
Atishi also accused the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of overstepping his authority by ordering the election, which was carried out by the MCD commissioner. She said” This is BJP’s standard operating procedure. Whenever they lose an election, they use backdoor tactics to gain power.”
AAP to challenge MCD polls in SC
She cited previous instances, such as BJP’s actions in Maharashtra, Goa and Manipur, where the party allegedly used Operation Lotus to form governments by pressuring or purchasing opposition MLAs through agencies like the CBI and ED.
Atishi further said that AAP would challenge the election in the Supreme Court, declaring the process as “illegal” and contrary to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. She said that only the Mayor or, in their absence, the Deputy Mayor has the authority to call and preside over MCD meetings.
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