On Wednesday, BJP members protested outside Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Mayor Shelly Oberoi’s office at the Civic Centre, citing the delay in electing the next Mayor. The BJP highlighted the issue, demanding that the Mayor call an election.
A Dalit candidate should have been chosen MCD Mayor in April after Oberoi’s tenure expired on March 31, but elections for mayor and deputy mayor had to be delayed due to the presiding officer’s non-appointment, according to an official statement made by the civic body on April 25.
Leader of Opposition with MCD Sardar Raja Hussein Singh, Deputy Leader of Government Jai Bhagwan Yadav, BJP-ruled local committee chairs, deputy chairpersons, and Central Committee officials protested outside the Mayor’s
BJP councilors protested against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Mayor Oberoi, accusing them of being anti-Dalit. They requested that a Dalit mayor be elected immediately and that a standing committee be formed without delay.
The demonstrators also stated that until the AAP held an election for the reserved office of Dalit mayor, the BJP would move its agitation from the streets to the legislative chambers. They promised to ensure that the mayor could no longer postpone the election. Leading the demonstration, Raja Iqbal Singh stated that Arvind Kejriwal claimed he would manage the government from jail, but he did not sign the file appointing a presiding officer for the April 2024 mayoral election.
“When he was released from jail and forced to resign due to public outrage and the anti-incumbency wave, he began delivering mayoral election instructions under false pretenses. He continued to direct the mayor to arrange the elections. If the Aam Aadmi Party had true intentions, they would have scheduled the Dalit mayor’s election in October, the sacred month commemorating Lord Valmiki’s birth anniversary, according to Iqbal Singh.
He asserted that the AAP’s purpose is to deny people from Dalits their rightful place. “The election should be held for an appointed caste councilor to run for Mayor, but AAP continues to make reasons to delay it” according to him.
Raja Iqbal Singh also refused to believe AAP allegations, stating that its councilors are unavailable. He stated that councilors should be present in their wards to ensure cleanliness and services, but they are on vacation in other states, allowing the public to deal with unsanitary circumstances.
“When it comes to working in the interests of the Corporation, AAP councilors are never in the city. As a result, Delhi is blanketed in waste piles, generating public discomfort,” he said.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, described the delay in the mayoral election as an ‘injustice’ to the Dalit population. “The people of Delhi will seek retribution for this with the upcoming state elections, ensuring the defeat of AAP candidates both in reserved and non-reserved seats”, Yadav commented.