New Delhi: As the term of incumbent mayor Mahesh Kumar concluded on March 31, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has begun the process of electing his successor. This year, the election is open to general category candidates, marking a shift from previous years. The municipal secretary’s office has forwarded the necessary documents to the outgoing mayor for finalising a date for the election. Once the date is confirmed, MCD will start inviting nominations from interested candidates. Simultaneously, the civic body will approach the Lieutenant Governor’s office to nominate a presiding officer to oversee the election.
According to sources, the election is expected to take place in the last week of April. The deputy mayor will also be elected in the same House meeting. Additionally, this session may witness the election of a standing committee member to fill the vacancy left by former councillor Gajendra Daral. Daral, who was directly elected from the House to the standing committee, vacated his seat after winning the Mundka Assembly constituency in February. The standing committee comprises 18 members, six of whom are elected from the House, while the remaining 12 are chosen from zonal committees.
As per the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, the mayoral election should be conducted annually in the first House meeting of the MCD’s new cycle beginning in April. However, last year’s elections were delayed by seven months due to a dispute over the presiding officer’s appointment, eventually taking place in November.
In the previous mayoral election, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Mahesh Kumar secured a narrow victory with 133 votes, edging out BJP’s Kishan Lal by just three votes. The result came as a surprise since AAP had 143 members, including two Congress councillors who switched sides, while BJP held 122 before voting commenced.
BJP holds 117 councillors, AAP 113, and Congress eight in the 250-member MCD. After recent Assembly elections, 11 councillors became MLAs, creating 12 vacancies, including MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat’s seat. The DMC Act does not require vacancies to be filled before the mayoral election, potentially benefiting BJP. The electoral college includes 250 councillors, 10 MPs, and 14 MLAs nominated
by the Speaker.