Despite a clash over election procedures, AAP councillors took part in the process, which was overseen by deputy commissioners of the respective zones. This election had been pending for 20 months since the civic polls held in December 2022. The new zonal committees will be instrumental in decentralising discussions on local issues, speeding up resolutions, and overseeing project implementation.
Before the elections, Mayor Shelly Oberoi objected to the deputy commissioners conducting the polls, claiming that they were not authorised presiding officers. She also deemed the election notices issued by the municipal secretary as “null and void.” Despite her objections and refusal to appoint presiding officers, Oberoi participated in the election for the Karol Bagh ward committee later in the day.
Oberoi’s letter to MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar argued that the deputy commissioners lacked the authority to oversee the elections and that the intervention by the lieutenant governor was improperly executed. She argued that Section 487 of the Delhi Municipal Act, which was cited for the order, did not allow for such an intervention and that the central government or lieutenant governor could not override municipal authority in this manner.
The mayor’s stance came after LG VK Saxena had directed the MCD commissioner to assign deputy commissioners to oversee the elections following Oberoi’s refusal. The AAP is expected to challenge the process in court, asserting that the election proceedings were flawed.
Inputs from TOI
