‘The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has slammed the BJP for ‘Murdering Democracy’ in controversial MCD Standing Committee member election’, Delhi Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Atishi declared BJP’s staging of an illegal and unconstitutional election for the sixth member of the MCD Standing Committee.
The senior AAP leader pointed out that only the Mayor has the authority to set the date and venue for these elections, and bypassing this process is not just a breach of rules but an attack on the democratic fabric of the MCD.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi CM Atishi said, “Yesterday, BJP held elections for the sixth member of the MCD Standing Committee. These elections are illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic.”
The senior AAP leader stated that the Parliament of India has passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act 1957 to run the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Under this, many laws and rules have been made to run the MCD. The most important of these is the ‘Delhi Municipal Corporation Procedure and Conduct of Business Regulation 1958’. Regulation 51 of which is related to the elections of the Standing Committee. According to this, the election of the members of the Standing Committee will be held in the meeting of the Corporation.
“The election for the member of the MCD Standing Committee yesterday is a violation of the Delhi Municipal Act of 1957. Under the rules, only the Mayor can determine the date and place for the election of Standing Committee members and will also act as the presiding officer,” she added.
Atishi further added that only the Mayor can decide the time, place and date of the meeting of the Corporation. Section 76 of the DMC Act also clearly states that whenever there is a meeting of the Corporation, the Mayor will preside over it and if the Mayor is absent, the Deputy Mayor will preside over it. That is, only the Mayor can decide the date and place for the election of the member of the Standing Committee. And when the meeting for the election will be held, only the Mayor can preside over that meeting.
“But the BJP is not bothered by the Constitution or the rules and regulations. The BJP is not bothered by the ripping off of democracy. In a blatant violation of democracy, constitution and law, LG Saab does not have the power, an IAS officer who does not have the power to call a meeting of the House, yet LG Saab gives the order, the commissioner obeys that order. He calls a meeting of the corporation for elections, and instead of the elected mayor and deputy mayor, he makes an IAS officer the presiding officer,” shared the AAP leader.
She mentioned that BJP, LG Saab and his officers violated the constitution and democracy at every level in yesterday’s illegal elections. But this is not the first time. This is BJP’s standing operating procedure. Wherever BJP does not win the elections, it tries to form the government through the backdoor by violating the rules, laws and the constitution.
Taking potshots at the BJP’s nefarious ‘Operation Lotus’, Atishi mentioned that, we have seen that from 2014 to 2024, in the states where BJP lost the elections, they formed the government through the back door by horse trading MLAs through ‘Operation Lotus’, by putting pressure through ED-CBI. The BJP formed governments in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Manipur by doing this.
“In Delhi also we saw that when the AAP won the MCD elections, how BJP was not allowing the election of the Mayor to take place. How it was trying to get votes from Aldermen who do not have the right to vote in the mayor election, in an illegal, undemocratic way. Thanks to the Supreme Court, the top court came forward and saved the Constitution and got the Mayor elected in a constitutional manner. We saw how BJP’s Anil Masih tried to steal the Chandigarh Mayoral Election for the BJP but the Supreme Court again came forward and saved democracy,” asserted the senior AAP leader
She affirmed, “I want to tell the BJP that this country does not run with your ‘goondagardi’ (hooliganism). This country runs by the Constitution, by the law. This country is a democracy and runs by the votes of the people, so if you have the courage, then face the AAP in the elections.”
“If you want to conduct MCD elections, then dissolve the MCD and hold elections and let the truth come out as to who the people of Delhi want. Stop murdering democracy like this, by misusing the powers of LG Saab and officers, otherwise the people of Delhi will give a befitting reply in the coming elections,” concluded Atishi.