The formation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD’s) standing committee, a key panel which controls the finances of the civic body and whose absence has led to a complete policy paralysis in the corporation over the past two years, is likely to be delayed further due to three of its members being elected legislators in the recently concluded Delhi Assembly elections.
Further, the election of the 18th member of the committee last September, which was boycotted by AAP, remains sub judice in the Supreme Court.
A senior MCD official, not wishing to be named, said: “The situation has now grown more complex after three standing committee members, Punardeep Sawhney from Chandni Chowk, Prem Chauhan from Deoli, and Gajendra Daral from Mundka, have secured MLA positions in the recent assembly elections, leaving three seats in the 18-member committee vacant,” the official said.
The official said that the matter related to the election of one standing committee member, Surinder Singh Tanwar, has been pending in the Supreme Court since last October. “Under these circumstances, there is very low likelihood of formation and operation of the standing committee in the coming months. The BJP may have secured the majority in the house due to a series of defections but the question of standing committee still remains wide open and the policy paralysis is likely to continue,” the official said.
The standing committee controls the finances of the MCD, all projects above ₹5 crore, policy matters with financial implications and layout plan process, and audits. The logjam in its functioning has led to major policy paralysis in the MCD, with projects such as biomining of landfills, waste collection agreements, museum upkeep, and layout plans of major projects remaining stuck.
The 18-member committee is headed by a chairperson. Of these 18 members, six are directly elected by the house of 250 councillors and 12 are elected by 12 zonal wards committees.
A second MCD official, requesting anonymity, said that the proposal for finalising the date for the constitution of the standing committee was adjourned again in the last house meeting held on February 25.
“The proposal for the determination of the date for the ‘constitution of the standing committee’ was first placed before the house in September 2024 for the first time, but the house has never taken it up. It is the house that needs to return the proposal and issue a direction to the municipal corporation for holding elections on pending seats,” the official said.
Of the three vacated seats, two—Punardeep Sawhney and Prem Chauhan—were elected from ward or zonal committee, and the third member—Gajendra Daral—was elected in a house meeting. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Punardeep Sawhney was elected from the Sadar City Paharganj zone and Prem Chauhan from the south zone, and in both zones, the AAP still has a majority despite defections in other wards, officials said.
In the assembly elections, a total of 11 sitting councillors, including eight from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and three from the AAP, won the elections. “Although the existing MCD norm doesn’t make it mandatory for by-elections on 11 seats before holding elections on vacant standing committee seats, a nod from the house is mandatory for the formation of standing committee. Also, clarity from the apex court is required on the 18th member, whose election was held in October 2024, before holding the chairperson election. A hearing in this regard is expected on March 18,” the second official said.
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