Delhi Municipal Corporation Seeks Permission for Mayor and Deputy Mayor Elections Amid Lok Sabha Polls

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sought permission from the Election Commission of India to hold the elections for the positions of Mayor and Deputy Mayor on April 26, 2023. This request comes due to the Model Code of Conduct being in force during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India. The agenda for the house meeting mentions that the election is subject to clearance and permission from the Election Commission.

The MCD secretary has written to the Election Commission seeking approval for the scheduled polls of Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have announced their respective candidates for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor positions, while the Congress party has declared its support for the AAP candidates. The AAP has fielded Mahesh Khichi for the post of mayor and Ravinder Bhardwaj for deputy mayor, while the BJP has fielded Kishan Lal.

However, the process is facing challenges due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in force for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The MCD needs approval from the Election Commission and the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) to conduct the elections, as well as the appointment of a presiding officer. If the Election Commission denies permission due to the Lok Sabha elections, the MCD polls might have to be pushed to the end of May.

The L-G's office is yet to receive the file related to the internal civic body polls, which needs to be routed through the Urban Development department and the Chief Minister's office. The Delhi government has an obligation to complete the mayor election process by April 2024, and the Urban Development Department Minister is closely monitoring the developments.

Why this matters: The delay in holding the MCD mayor and deputy mayor elections due to the ongoing Lok Sabha polls highlights the complexities of conducting local elections during a national election period. The outcome of these elections will have significant implications for the governance and administration of India's capital city.

This is not the first time the MCD elections have been postponed, as there have been delays in the past due to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Last year, AAP candidates Shelly Oberoi and Aaley Muhammad Iqbal were re-elected as Mayor and Deputy Mayor in Delhi respectively after BJP candidates withdrew their nominations.

The tussle between the AAP Delhi government and the Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar over the modalities related to the elections has further complicated matters. Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the Chief Secretary of "deliberately bypassing the elected government by sending the file to the Lieutenant Governor directly," and demanded action against him. The bureaucracy, on the other hand, has accused Bharadwaj of trying to "enter the shoes of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal."

As the Municipal Corporation of Delhi awaits approval from the Election Commission and the nomination of the presiding officer by the Lieutenant Governor, the fate of

Key Takeaways

• MCD seeks EC permission to hold Delhi mayoral polls on April 26, 2023.
• AAP and BJP have announced their respective candidates for mayor and deputy mayor.
• MCD needs EC and L-G approval to conduct elections due to ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
• Delay in elections highlights complexities of local polls during national elections.
• Tussle between AAP govt and bureaucracy over modalities further complicates the process.