A assembly to decide on a brand new mayor for Delhi nowadays degenerated right into a full-blown brawl among newly elected councilors of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP, who attacked every different and shouted slogans for hours. The assembly ended all of sudden after the combat and Delhi remained with out a mayor.
In TV visuals, rival people of AAP and BJP have been visible pushing every different down, hurling tables and chairs or even leaping on desks on the Civic Centre, the headquarters of the effective frame liable for supplying civic services to extra than eleven million people.
Members of each events claimed accidents withinside the bodily conflict. The BJP alleged that its councilor Sharad Kapoor suffered a damaged leg. AAP answered with a comparable charge. “They (BJP councilors) hit me with an oath-taking memento,” alleged AAP’s Praveen Kumar.
The protests erupted over nominated MCD contributors – aldermen of the residence – being sworn in earlier than the elected councilors. AAP suspected an try to get the nominated contributors to vote – in violation of rules – and assist the BJP, which misplaced the December civic election after 3 phrases in power.
AAP had in advance objected to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena naming 10 nominated MCD contributors with out consulting the kingdom government. The BJP retorted that the MCD reviews to the Centre and the Lieutenant Governor, so Mr Saxena become properly inside his rights to appoint contributors to the civic frame.
The conflict withinside the residence follows a chain of confrontations among AAP and the Lieutenant Governor, who’s the Centre’s consultant in Delhi. AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused Mr Saxena of bypassing and ignoring the elected government.
“The previous few weeks have visible a few very weird developments. The LG (Lieutenant Governor) is immediately issuing orders on nearly each difficulty regardless of whether or not it’s far reserved or transferred, regardless of whether or not the LG has the powers to try this or now no longer. (He) troubles guidelines immediately to the Chief Secretary who in flip receives them applied absolutely bypassing and ignoring the elected government,” Mr Kejriwal wrote.
Yesterday, Mr Saxena appointed a BJP councilor, Satya Sharma, as transient Speaker to preside over the mayor’s election. AAP had encouraged Mukesh Goyal, the senior maximum councilor withinside the residence, for the post.
“In Delhi MCD, BJP has attempted each grimy trick and failed – from delimitation and delaying elections to the use of their pleasant uncle’s workplace to pump up numbers. Their remaining inn is hooliganism, which you could now see to your TV screens,” senior AAP chief Raghav Chadha alleged.
The BJP stated AAP lacked religion in its very own councilors. “Nobody become seeking to make aldermen vote withinside the House however that does not suggest they cannot be sworn in. Arvind Kejriwal instigated his councilors to create ruckus withinside the residence,” stated BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor.
Another BJP chief, Parvesh Verma, stated: “The nominated contributors in MCD are known as aldermen. Is it feasible an alderman does now no longer have vote casting rights?…Just due to the fact they (AAP) gained some extra seats would not suggest they’ll inn to hooliganism.”
AAP has named Shelly Oberoi as its candidate for mayor. The BJP, in an eleventh-hour volte face after in advance pronouncing it’d now no longer combat for the post, placed up Rekha Gupta.
The MCD House has 250 elected councilors. The BJP’s seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi and AAP’s 3 Rajya Sabha contributors and 14 MLAs nominated with the aid of using the Delhi Speaker may also take part withinside the Mayor election.
The Congress, which has 9 councilors, determined now no longer to participate withinside the vote casting. AAP accused the celebration of creating a address the BJP in go back for an area withinside the haj committee of MCD.
AAP gained 134 of 250 wards withinside the first municipal election held after the redrawing of constituencies and the merging of the MCD remaining year. The BJP completed 2d with 104 seats.
Though AAP has a clean majority withinside the MCD, the celebration fears crossvoting as it’s far a mystery ballot. Though the BJP is not going to win the mayor and deputy mayor posts, it’ll try and win a few posts withinside the crucial status committee.