NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is preparing for a crucial mayoral election today, November 14, at 2 pm. This election has been delayed by seven months due to repeated disruptions in the MCD House and ongoing tensions between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The political atmosphere in Delhi is intensifying ahead of Thursday’s mayoral election, with heated exchanges between AAP and BJP over the appointment of the presiding officer. AAP has expressed concerns after BJP councillor Satya Sharma was chosen to oversee the poll.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has raised concerns about the fairness of the upcoming mayoral election, specifically questioning the impartiality of the BJP-appointed presiding officer. AAP is worried that the choice of BJP councillor Satya Sharma as the presiding officer might compromise the neutrality of the election process.

In turn, AAP has called on the Lieutenant Governor to ensure that the election is conducted without any bias, urging for a fair and transparent oversight. The party has highlighted past incidents to support its concerns, pointing to what it claims was vote tampering during the previous mayoral election. This has fueled fears within AAP that similar tactics could be employed this time, leading to potential manipulation of the results by the BJP.

Satya Sharma, a BJP councillor and former East Delhi mayor, has been reappointed as the presiding officer for the election. Sharma previously oversaw the mayoral election in December 2022 and will once again manage the proceedings. The new mayor, representing the Dalit community, will only serve a five-month term due to ongoing political disagreements.

In the 250-member MCD House, AAP's representation has now dropped to 125, just below the majority mark. Meanwhile, the BJP has increased its seats to 113. The Congress holds eight seats, while three seats belong to independent candidates.

In the last election, AAP won a significant victory by securing 134 out of 250 seats, ending the BJP's 15-year reign over the MCD. However, the previous election saw heightened tensions when AAP's candidate, Shelly Oberoi, emerged victorious amidst a chaotic situation. The uproar was largely due to the Lieutenant Governor's decision to nominate 10 aldermen, which AAP criticized as being in favor of the BJP.

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