Delhi MCD Polls LIVE: AAP Faces Setback as BJP Eyes Dominance in Standing Committee

New Delhi: The stage is all set for the crucial day as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) prepares for important Standing Committee elections on Thursday. The ruling AAP and the opposition BJP are vying for dominance in this key electoral battle, which aims to fill the sole vacancy in the 18-member Standing Committee, the MCD's highest decision-making body. 

This vacancy arose following the resignation of BJP councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat after her election to the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat earlier this year. 

The long-pending Standing Committee election comes after a nearly 1.8-month delay due to a political deadlock between the AAP and the BJP . The deadlock was broken by a recent Supreme Court ruling, which upheld the validity of 10 aldermen appointed by the Lieutenant Governor (LG), a point of contention that had stalled the process. This ruling has bolstered the BJP's chances of gaining a foothold in the Standing Committee.

Setback for AAP with Councillors Switching Sides

In a setback for the AAP on Wednesday, three of its councillors switched sides and joined the BJP just a day before the Standing Committee election. Dilshad Colony Garden councillor Preeti, Green Park councillor Sarita Phogat, and Madanpur Khadar East councillor Praveen Kumar joined the BJP, changing the numbers dynamics in the corporation.

BJP Claims AAP Lost Majority and Moral Authority

The BJP said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has lost majority in the MCD House and hence the "moral authority" to be in power. "The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has today lost majority amongst the elected councillors of Municipal Corporation of Delhi and thus has no more moral right to be in power. The MCD at present has an effective strength of 249 elected councillors and the AAP now has only 124 councillors with it, while the majority mark is 125. Hence, it has clearly lost majority," said Leader of Opposition in the MCD Raja Iqbal Singh.

Understanding the Number Dynamics

Currently, the AAP holds 124 councillors in the 250-member house, while the BJP has 115, Congress 9, and there is one independent councillor. In the Standing Committee, the BJP has already secured 7 seats through elections from the ward committees held earlier this month, while the AAP holds 5. This leaves the current composition of the committee at 9 seats for the BJP and 8 for the AAP, which includes a 2-3 result carried forward from last year's Standing Committee election.

In 2023, the results were evenly split between the AAP and the BJP at 3-3 for the election of six members from the House; however, following Sehrawat's resignation, the seat was vacant. This poll will fill the last vacant seat in the Standing Committee and give an edge to either of the parties over the functioning of the civic body.

Election Impact

With the given numbers, if the BJP wins the final seat, the party will solidify its dominance in the committee. However, if AAP secures the seat, they may still face challenges, as the chairperson elected from the winning party will not have a voting right unless there is a tie and a deciding vote is warranted. In this case, even if the AAP wins the last seat and brings its tally to 9, one of its members, as the chairperson, will not be able to cast a vote, leading to further tussles over passing proposals going forward.

In the event of a 9-9 tie in Thursday's poll, the final member could be chosen through a lottery system. Polls for electing the chairperson and deputy chairperson will be held separately after the Standing Committee elections.