Big blow for AAP! Delhi High Court stays re-election of MCD Standing Committee members

The Delhi High Court on Saturday stayed the re-election for six members of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which was scheduled for February 27.

Justice Gaurang Kanth, in a special hearing held on a court holiday, said prima facie it appeared that the mayor, who was also the returning officer, is conducting the re-election on Monday without declaring results of the previous poll held on February 24 which is in violation of regulations.

Court clarifies on Delhi Mayor's powers

The high court said the regulations nowhere reflect that the Delhi mayor has authority to declare the election of Standing Committee members as null and void. It issued a notice to the returning officer and others on two pleas challenging the decision to hold re-election without declaring the results of the earlier poll. "Notice to hold re-election shall remain stayed till the next date of hearing," the judge said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed victory after the court stayed the re-election of six members of the standing committee and accused each other of adopting 'unconstitutional' means to win the poll.

The BJP welcomed the ruling, saying this was a "step towards justice".

Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva accused Mayor Shelly Oberoi, of AAP, of making a "wrong, immoral and unconstitutional announcement" on Friday to hold the election afresh. "Now, even the high court has put a stay on this unconstitutional move. This is a good decision, a decision that will sustain democracy. We welcome this stay. Truth will triumph and whatever result will eventually come out of it... we feel that the results of technical experts in the election for members of the Standing Committee will hold good," he said.

Atishi feels its a victory for AAP

AAP senior leader and MLA Atishi, however, said it was a victory for the party as the saffron party was hoping that the high court would endorse an illegal demand of the party regarding counting of votes, but the court refused to accept their unconstitutional and illegal demand.

The MCD House witnessed high-decibel protests by BJP councillors after Oberoi declared that a vote cast during the standing committee election was "invalid". The bedlam turned into pandemonium as violent clashes broke out between councillors from both the parties. Oberoi had barely started to announce the results when the ruckus began.

Following the ruckus, councillors from the both the parties filed complaints, with police initiating legal action in the matter.

War of words between AAP & BJP councillors

The war of words between the two parties continued on social media in the form of a poster war between them.

The BJP took a dig at AAP MLA Atishi on Saturday, calling her a "villain" and accusing her of orchestrating the ruckus during elections for the six-member standing committee in the MCD House. Sharing a mock-up film poster with morphed pictures of AAP MLAs Atishi and Durgesh Pathak alongside Mayor Shelly Oberoi, the Delhi BJP tweeted in Hindi, "AAP's 'khalnayika' who orchestrated violence and dictatorship in the House."

AAP also shared a poster featuring BJP MPs Manoj Tiwari, Gautam Gambhir, councillor Rekha Gupta along with other leaders with the title "Ballot Chor Machaye Shor". The AAP said in a tweet in Hindi, "The BJP people who are making so much noise. These are the ones who stole ballot papers and are killers of democracy."