New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party’s first-time councillor Shelly Oberoi was elected Delhi’s new mayor Wednesday, ending a months-long fight between the ruling AAP and Opposition BJP over voting rights to nominated members.
Oberoi was elected a councillor in the December municipal polls from the Delhi East Patel Nagar ward — which is a BJP stronghold. She got 150 of the total 266 votes cast, while BJP nominee Rekha Gupta got 116 votes. The ruling AAP also won the deputy mayor’s post, with candidate Aaley Mohammad Iqbal bagging 147 votes to Kamal Bagri’s (BJP) 116. Iqbal told news agency PTI, “I have a lot of work to do… fulfilling the party’s 10 guarantees is our priority.”
The 39-year-old is a former visiting professor, and has a PhD from the Indira Gandhi National Open University’s (IGNOU) School of Management Studies.
#WATCH | AAP's Shelly Oberoi becomes #Delhi mayor with 150 votes pic.twitter.com/LLbAJ1Xh3D
— ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2023
The last three attempts to elect the mayor, deputy mayor and six members of the standing committee failed due to a political tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party over voting rights to the House’s 10 nominated personalities, also called aldermen.
The AAP contended that since these members had been nominated by the Lieutenant Governor – who reports to the Centre – their vote might skew numbers in favour of the BJP in the all-powerful, decision-making standing committee.
The AAP was expected to win the mayor and deputy mayor’s posts in any case.
After elections on 4 December, which the AAP won by dethroning the BJP, the civic House convened on 6 January, 24 January and 6 February to elect the mayor, deputy mayor and the six standing committee members.
But the House was stalled amid unruly scenes all three times over the aldermen’s oath-taking and the question of their voting.
In the last meeting, presiding officer Satya Sharma of the BJP administered oath to the aldermen, before calling the elected councillors. AAP strongly objected to this move, and the House adjourned for the third time.
A plea was thereafter filed in the Supreme Court by AAP, challenging Delhi LG V.K. Saxena’s decision to permit the nominated members to vote.
Giving the ruling party’s argument a big leg-up, a top court bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud ruled that nominated members could not vote in these elections. “Nominated members cannot go for election. The constitutional provision is very clear,” the bench observed.
The apex court then issued a notice to the LG to hold the mayoral elections soonest.
The municipal elections in Delhi were held on 4 December and results were announced on 7 December. The AAP won 134 seats out of the 250, while the BJP got 104.
According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the Municipal House has to meet within a month after the conclusion of the civic polls to elect the mayor. That process was significantly delayed this time.
There were a total of 274 valid votes for the mayoral elections Wednesday, including those of 10 MPs and 14 MLAs. Nine Congress councillors boycotted the polls. Either of the two mayoral candidates needed 134 votes to win.
Also read: 3 attempts, no Delhi mayor. Behind AAP-BJP tussle over voting rights of L-G’s nominees