New Delhi
With the completion of the mayoral elections, the focus in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is soon expected to shift to the election of the wards committee and zonal chairpersons for each of Delhi’s 12 administrative zones.
As the tenure for the 12 zonal wards committees ended on March 31, MCD is likely to notify elections to the posts of chairperson and deputy chairs next week, officials aware of the development said. This will also pave the way for constituting the standing committee, which grants financial clearances for infrastructure projects costing above ₹5 crore.
A senior MCD official said that the secretariat has approached the current zonal committee chairpersons to provide common dates for holding the next election. “Once this step is complete and notification is issued, at least 7-10 days will be given to the interested candidates to submit or withdraw their nominations to contest for the chairperson and deputy chairperson posts,” the official said.
Seven of the 12 zones — Shahdara South, Shahdara North, Narela, Najafgarh, Keshavpuram, Civil Lines, and Central — have Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chairpersons, while the others — City Sadar Paharganj, South, Karol Bagh, West, and Rohini — have chairpersons from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Although the AAP lost the majority in the MCD house, it retains the lead in the five zones.
Besides the committee polls, elections for the City Sadar Paharganj and South Zone wards are also to be held, as one of them will be represented in the standing committee. These two seats were vacated by sitting standing committee members Purandeep Sawhney and Prem Chauhan, who won the assembly elections.
The 18-member standing committee comprises 12 elected members from zonal committees and six members who are elected by the house. While the ward committee elections of September 2024 were challenged in the Supreme Court, officials said the court has not issued a stay in conducting the next set of elections.
“Once the election of chairpersons and deputies in 12 committees, as well as three standing committee members, is completed, MCD will work towards the constitution of the standing committee and conducting its chairman election, possibly in June,” a second MCD official said.
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