New Delhi:

Chaos overtook the mayoral election in Delhi today as the Congress boycotted the poll, demanding that the new Mayor-who would be a Dalit —  serve a full term. The election, normally held every April, has been delayed over a tussle between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP, and the new Mayor is expected to get only a five-month term. Amid the chaos, Congress’s Mohammad Khushnood and his wife Sabila Begum — Councillor of Mustafabad Ward 243) — resigned from the primary membership of the party, saying she would vote for the AAP candidate. While the seven Congress members walked out as the voting started, she stayed back to vote. 

In her resignation letter, Sabila Begum said her objection was to the party’s walkout decision, which would only benefit the BJP. 

“A few days ago, the election of a member of the standing committee was to be held. In that too, the Congress councillors were given the order to walk out, the result of which was that the BJP candidate won and the BJP captured the standing committee. In the last mayor election also we had walked out on the order of the party, due to which we had to face the anger of our people in our ward,’ her letter read.  

“I resign from the primary membership of the Congress Party because the ward from which I am a Municipal Councillor is a Muslim dominated area and the people of the area cannot support the BJP in any way,” the letter added.  

The initial delay in the election took place as then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was in judicial custody in the excise policy case.
Then AAP boycotted the election held in September after the councillors were frisked. That time too, the Congress had abstained from voting.

There was further delay over procedural disputes, including the appointment of a presiding officer by the Lieutenant Governor.

The coming term is meant for a candidate from a reserved category. The rules say the post, for which elections are held every year, have categories on a rotational basis. The first year is reserved for women, the second is for open category, the third for the reserved category, and the last two again are open category.

Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP has fielded Mahesh Khichi, councillor from Devnagar, for the mayor’s post, who is up against the BJP’s Kishan Lal. The fight for the Deputy Mayor post is between AAP’s Ravinder Bharadwaj, councillor of Aman Vihar and Nita Bisht.

This is the third mayoral election after the AAP ended the BJP’s 15-year run at the civic body in December 2022. AAP’s Shelly Oberoi is the outgoing Mayor and her Deputy is Mohammed Iqbal.