SEC may decide on Delhi civic body polls in second week of April: Report

The State Election Commission of Delhi is likely to take a call about civic body polls in the second week of April after going through the Bill for the unification of the three municipal corporations, sources said on Tuesday.

The Bill is likely to be presented in Parliament in the ongoing Budget session.

The Commission had earlier this month approached top legal experts and jurists for an advice if it can hold the elections before end of civic bodies' term amid Centre's intensions to unify the three corporations, where the poll body has been advised to wait till Parliament session is underway.

"Legal opinion has been received about MCD elections. It advised the Commission to wait till the Bill is tabled in Parliament. The Commission was also of the view to wait till Parliament is in the session till April 8. The Commission is likely to take a call on conducting MCD polls in Delhi after April 8," a source told PTI.

The sources added that if elections are conducted in the present set up and later when the Centre unifies the three civic bodies, then the entire poll exercise will become futile. "So it is better to wait and take decision in accordance with the constitution and related rules".

According to the DMC Act 1957, elections to the municipalities in Delhi are to be conducted before the expiry of the House in the three civic bodies which means that new houses will have to be elected before May 18.

Sources said that the Centre will soon bring a Bill to reunify municipalities in Delhi so the Commission will have to go through the Bill and take a call accordingly in connection with MCD polls.

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod to a Bill to merge the three municipal corporations in Delhi, a move that is likely to escalate the ongoing political tussle between the BJP and the AAP ahead of the high-stakes civic polls.

According to sources in the government, the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill is likely to be introduced in the ongoing Budget session of Parliament.

Officials said that currently there is no clarity on MCD elections as it all depends on the Bill to unify civic bodies.

"It will have to be seen what the Bill says and then decide accordingly. After unification of civic bodies, entire set up will change so the elections will have to be conducted in accordance with the new set up, which will become clear only after the Bill is passed in Parliament," a source said.

The sources added that the Bill is likely to clarify that what will be the new set up of the MCDs and based on that the SEC will take any call.

The SEC had earlier this month deferred the announcement of election schedule for the civic bodies after it received a communication from Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal saying the Centre plans to bring a Bill in the Budget session of Parliament to unify the three municipal corporations of Delhi.

The SEC had also clarified that it has sufficient time to conduct civic elections before the expiry of the term on May 18 as the election process normally takes only about 30 days.