AAP may move court after verdict on MCD panel polls

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party has suffered a major setback after the Delhi High Court set aside Delhi mayor and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Shelly Oberoi’s call for fresh polls to elect six members to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s standing committee. The Delhi High Court has approved the report of the expert committee of the Election Commission. In its report, the Expert Committee declared three members each of the Aam Aadmi Party and BJP elected to the Standing Committee. However, after the court’s decision, AAP has started preparations to put move court.
The Delhi High Court may have given a verdict in favour of the BJP, but according to sources, now the AAP is planning to appeal before the second bench of the High Court.Another case is also going on in the Supreme Court regarding the nomination of alderman and their right to vote. The decision regarding this matter could come in the month of July. In such a situation, the Aam Aadmi Party wants to postpone the election of the Standing Committee till the decision of the Supreme Court.
The BJP has welcomed the verdict and State President Virendra Sachdeva said: “The BJP welcomes the decision given by the Honourable Delhi High Court regarding the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. We were saying from Day One that the mayor’s behaviour is not proper.”The court had said: “The Mayor’s decision was not based on any material and she acted in excess of her powers.”
On the other hand, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi tweeted that she accepts the High Court’s decision on the matter, while adding that AAP is “committed towards working together to ensure a cleaner and safer Delhi for all”.
Importance of Standing Committee
The Standing Committee is the most important committee of the House. This committee consists of 18 members, and the leaders of both political parties want to get the maximum number of their members elected so that they can capture the posts of its chairman and deputy chairman.
The 12 members of the Standing Committee are elected from 12 zones. The election of those 12 members will be held along with the election of the chairman and deputy chairman of all the 12 zones. Once the 18 members of the Standing Committee (6 members from the House and 12 members from 12 zones) are elected, the election of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee is held.
At present, out of 12 zones of MCD, six zones (South Zone, West Zone, Rohini Zone, City Sadar-Paharganj Zone, Karol Bagh Zone and Central Zone) are in the hands of the Aam Aadmi Party and six zones (Shahdara North Zone, Shahdara South Zone, Keshav Puram Zone, Najafgarh Zone, Civil Lines Zone and Narela Zone) have BJP majority.