The Reason Why AAP, BJP Councillors Brawled In Delhi Civic Body Today

A fight broke out between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors inside the office of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Friday. The fight started after Mayor Shelly Oberoi declared one vote invalid in the election to six members of a key municipal committee. The voting to elect six members of the civic body’s standing committee was held early on Friday. While the BJP accused the Mayor of bias and interrupted the counting of votes, Ms Oberoi insisted the result will be declared without the invalid vote.

Why this one vote is so important?

For the BJP, it is a crucial vote, which can decide the fate of the candidate. The BJP has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Mayor of deliberately declaring the vote invalid.

”They are doing it deliberately. Our municipal secretary is saying it’s not invalid but they are not listening to him. This vote will help their candidate win and ours will lose. This is the root cause of the fight,” a BJP councillor told NDTV.

The crucial standing committee election

A majority of MCD’s 250 elected councillors cast their votes on Friday as a fresh poll is being conducted to elect six members of the civic body’s standing committee. Polling began around 11.15 am.

A fresh poll is being conducted to elect six members of the civic body’s highest decision-making body on the order of Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi.

The BJP had demanded a fresh poll to elect the panel’s six members.

Seven candidates are in the fray for the standing committee’s six members. The AAP has nominated Aamil Malik (Sri Ram Colony ward), Raminder Kaur (Fateh Nagar ward), Mohini Jeenwal (Sundar Nagari ward) and Sarika Chaudhary (Daryaganj ward). Kamaljeet Sehrawat (Dwarka-B ward) and Pankaj Luthra (Jhilmil ward) are contesting for the BJP. Independent councillor Gajender Singh Daral, who later joined the BJP, is also a candidate.

What happened in the MCD House today?

After the Mayor declared one vote invalid, the house fell into chaos. Councillors from both sides punched, kicked, slapped and pushed one another amid shouting. Some councillors were seen with their kurtas torn. One of them also collapsed.

The BJP accused the AAP, which won the election to the civic body earlier this month, of running the MCD House according to its whims and fancies. AAP leader Atishi hit back saying the BJP gave another proof of hooliganism today. “Their leaders attacked the Mayor, a woman, who had to escape from MCD House to save her life.”