Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday moved the Supreme Court challenging the recent standing committee election of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The party’s legal action follows a statement by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, who announced that AAP would contest the election results, citing violations of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act.
Atishi claimed that the election process for the last seat of the MCD’s standing committee was conducted in violation of the rules, asserting that only the mayor or deputy mayor has the authority to oversee such elections.
Alleged Procedural Violations
Addressing the media, Atishi pointed to the DMC (Procedure and Conduct of Business Regulations), particularly Regulation 51, to emphasize that the BJP-led election was unconstitutional. “Only the mayor has the authority to set the date and venue for these elections,” she stated, describing the recent poll as “illegal, unconstitutional, and undemocratic”. AAP plans to file a petition in the Supreme Court to challenge the results.
Atishi further accused the BJP of bypassing democratic procedures whenever it fails to win elections, referencing past attempts by the BJP to delay mayoral elections in Delhi after AAP’s victory in the MCD elections.
BJP’s Response
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva dismissed Atishi’s accusations, claiming that her comments were designed to deflect attention from AAP’s loss in the election. Sachdeva also accused AAP of creating a deadlock in the MCD for the past 21 months by failing to form the standing committee or other essential committees, which led to a standstill in MCD operations.
“The process for forming the standing committee is happening only due to the Supreme Court’s order of August 5, and the pressure from the high court,” Sachdeva noted.
Past Legal Battles
Raja Iqbal Singh, leader of the opposition in the MCD, recalled that AAP had previously taken the matter to the Delhi High Court after the election of six standing committee members. The court upheld the results in favor of BJP, and AAP later approached the Supreme Court regarding the appointment of aldermen by the Lieutenant Governor (LG), which was also upheld by the apex court.
“The election process has been conducted as per the rules of the DMC Act,” Singh asserted, dismissing AAP’s latest challenge as unfounded.
The dispute over the standing committee election continues, with AAP’s petition now set to be reviewed by the Supreme Court.
