Why doesn’t Delhi have a mayor? What happens next?

The National Capital is currently without a mayor. The development occurred after the newly-elected Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House adjourned on Friday without electing a mayor or deputy. The AAP has fielded former Delhi University teacher Shelly Oberoi for mayor and Aale Mohammad Iqbal as  deputy mayor. Meanwhile, the BJP has nominated Rekha Gupta for the mayor and Kamal Bagri for the deputy post. So what happened? Let’s take a closer look: What happened? The House abruptly adjourned on Friday after clashes between councillors of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party. A brawl broke out after representatives from both parties got into a heated altercation, as per NDTV. While AAP chanted slogans aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP slammed Arvind Kejriwal. As per NDTV, councillors from both parties were seen shoving each other, engaging in fisticuffs, throwing tables and chairs and climbing upon desks. It began with BJP councillor Satya Sharma, appointed by Lieutenant-Governor VK Saxena to oversee the process, inviting invited alderman Manoj Kumar to take oath.

Sharma’s appointment was already a bone of contention between the parties, as well as the AAP and Saxena.

As per NDTV, Saxena picked Kumar over the AAP’s nominee Mukesh Goyal, the most-senior councillor. “It is the tradition that the senior most member of House is nominated as protem Speaker or presiding officer. But BJP is hell bent destroying all democratic traditions and institutions,” tweeted AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj. The AAP had also claimed that Saxena, who appointed 10 nominated MCD members without consulting its government, was trying to aid the BJP. [caption id=“attachment_11554201” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena. ANI[/caption] The AAP has alleged that Saxena has appointed BJP leaders who were not experts in civic issues as aldermen. Aldermen, an old English word, refers to people who are experts in their fields. However, they do not have voting rights in the mayoral election. The AAP in November unseated the BJP, who had power for three terms, in the Delhi civic polls. But getting the position of mayor seems to be no sure thing for the AAP. **Also read: How BJP could win the Delhi mayor's post despite AAP's triumph in the MCD polls** As LG, Saxena is the BJP’s representative in the National Capital. But Saxena claimed he acted as an ‘administrator’ in nominating 10 members to the House and had exercised his powers under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act (1957), as per Hindustan Times. The BJP, meanwhile, rejected the AAP’s charge, claiming the party was afraid of defeat in the Mayor’s race. “Everything is being done according to the Constitution. They are making excuses because they know they are morally defeated,” said BJP leader Manoj Tiwari. Kejriwal on Twitter yesterday claimed Saxena had picked nominating members that would favour the BJP. Kejriwal, in a letter to Saxena on Thursday, registered his protest on the issue. Kejriwal said in his letter that “it is pertinent to note that these 10 members (the aldermen) have been intentionally chosen to represent three zones out of 12 of the municipal corporation” which he said appears to be an attempt “to influence the process of elections to the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation.” Kejriwal alleged that since one member of the standing committee gets chosen from each zone, “the attempt quite clearly is to ensure that the composition of the panel is skewed in favour of the persons belonging or owing allegiance to the ruling party at the Centre and thereby subvert the will of the electorate in the recently concluded elections to the municipal corporations.” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia wrote to MCD Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti over the “bypassing of elected state government” during the nominations of aldermen and directed him to desist from taking any further action in regard. Brawl breaks out In the House, the AAP councillors and MLAs, unhappy that an alderman was being administered the oath first, began howling their protests. Some raised slogans and rushed into the Well of the House. The BJP then retaliated by chanting slogans against AAP and its leader Arvind Kejriwal. In the melee, the oathtaking was stopped and the meeting disrupted as the AAP councillors stood on the tables, including those of the presiding officer. The BJP councillors also gathered around and exchanged heated words with their AAP counterparts. Then, bedlam broke out. Sharma initially seemed determined to continue the ceremony. “The House was adjourned for one hour. Four aldermen took their oaths. We will resume the meeting soon and the rest of the aldermen will take their oaths first,” he told PTI. However, the MCD House was adjourned for the day.

Sharma later told PTI the next date would be announced later.

As per Hindustan Times, the AAP accused the BJP of ‘hooliganism’. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted: “Till date in the history of MCD, nominated councillor has never voted in the House. (BJP) want(s) to take possession of MCD by dishonesty.” “BJP doing hooliganism. Swearing-in of nominated councillors was held first. Ruckus broke out when we objected, asked that swearing-in of elected councillors be first,” AAP’s Praveen Kumar told ANI. The saffron party, meanwhile, put the onus on the entire matter on the Kejriwal-led party. “… they are unaware of the rules. When they are in majority, why are they afraid? AAP MPs do the same in Rajya Sabha as well. They should allow voting,” the BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi told ANI. The MCD House comprises 250 elected councillors. The BJP’s seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi and the AAP’s three Rajya Sabha MPs and 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly Speaker will also participate in the elections to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. Six members of the standing committee will also be elected. The Congress, which has nine councillors, has decided not to take part in the voting. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.