BJP Wins Delhi MCD Standing Committee Election Amid AAP, Congress Boycott

New Delhi: In a crucial election for the 18th and final seat on the Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee, BJP’s Sundar Singh Tanwar emerged victorious on Friday. Tanwar secured 115 votes, matching the number of BJP councillors present in the House.

This win, however, is expected to be challenged in court, as it grants the BJP control over the powerful Standing Committee. The committee is responsible for key financial decisions in the municipal body, and with 10 of the 18 seats, the BJP now has the authority to select the Committee’s Chairperson.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with 125 councillors, could have likely won control of the Standing Committee had they participated. However, the AAP boycotted the election, expressing concerns over its legality. The Congress, with nine councillors, also abstained from voting.

The election came after AAP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, labelled the proceedings “illegal.” Kejriwal asserted that only the Mayor has the right to call a House session, as per the law, and criticized the sudden election as part of a “conspiracy.”

The controversy erupted after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, the central government’s representative in Delhi, called for a late-night voting session on Thursday. Despite Mayor Shelly Oberoi’s objections deeming the election unconstitutional, Saxena instructed the Municipal Commissioner to submit a report on the election by 10 PM and authorised the Deputy Mayor to oversee proceedings in the Mayor’s absence.

This election follows a series of conflicts between AAP and LG Saxena and was triggered by the resignation of BJP’s Kamaljeet Sehrawat after she was elected to the Lok Sabha from West Delhi earlier this year.