New Delhi: LG postpones MCD mayoral polls

New Delhi : Polls to elect the new mayor and deputy mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi that were slated for April 26 stands postponed amid the non-appointment of a presiding officer, an official order said on Thursday.

The civic body postponed the mayoral polls after the Raj Niwas issued a letter on behalf of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, stating that he "does not deem it appropriate to exercise his power as administrator to appoint the presiding officer in absence of the inputs from chief minister".

The MCD said even though it got the Election Commission's nod to hold the mayoral polls, the appointment of the presiding officer has not taken place. Therefore, it may not be possible to conduct the elections for mayor and deputy mayor, the civic body said in its order.

The proposal to appoint the presiding officer goes from the municipal secretary to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner and then onwards to the urban development secretary, the chief secretary, the urban development minister and the chief minister before it ends up with the LG.

The Aam Aadmi Party alleged "The BJP got this election cancelled despite there being permission from Election Commission. The LG office has cancelled the polls saying he works on the advice of the CM. There have been previous instances where he has not followed the aid and advice of the CM," AAP MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak claimed.

There was no immediate reaction from the LG office on the allegations. Pathak said that the post of the mayor in the second term is reserved for councillor from reserved category. "People of Dalit community are calling for this development. This shows that BJP is anti-Dalit. Even in 2019 when the Lok Sabha polls were on, mayors were elected," he said.

Asked whether the party will approach court in the matter, he responded, "We are discussing with lawyers on the matter and will see what happens. We have seen such difficulties earlier also but we will ensure that mayor is elected." AAP MLA Vishesh Ravi alleged that BJP was stopping a person from Dalit community from becoming the mayor.

"The AAP had the number since Congress councillors were also supporting our candidate in the polls. Tomorrow's election was a formality where we just had to go and get our candidate elected for the mayoral post," he said.