BJP killing democracy: Sisodia on Delhi LG forcing late-night MCD vote

Former Delhi Deputy CM and AAP leader Manish Sisodia alleged that the BJP was trying to kill democracy in the Delhi Municipal Corporation by forcing a standing committee member election to take place late in the night, despite adjournment of the House meeting of the civic body.

Manish Sisodia said, "Tonight, on the orders of PM Narendra Modi, BJP is killing democracy in the Delhi Municipal Corporation. The election of the standing committee member was to be held in the Delhi Municipal Corporation today. Mayor Shelly Oberoi tried to conduct the election for the Standing Committee but there was uproar in the House and it had to be adjourned. The Mayor adjourned the House till 5 October and decided that now the meeting would be held again on 5 October for the election of the Standing Committee."

Sisodia further said that although Delhi LG VK Saxena was abroad, he ordered the election of the standing committee to be conducted immediately at night at any cost.

"At 8:30 pm, Delhi LG wrote a letter to the Commissioner MCD and said that within 1.5 hours that is, by 10:00 pm, the election of the standing committee of MCD should be completed. Delhi LG is in America, but he has written a letter from there and has told the Commissioner that the election of MCD should be conducted immediately at night at any cost," he further said.

Sisodia further alleged that BJP councillors knew beforehand that Delhi LG would write a letter and the commissioner's orders would come to conduct polls by 10 pm.
 

Sisodia further said, "We were thinking what is the motive of the BJP, then we understood what the real game is. An employee of the Municipal Corporation told us that while the councillors of AAP and Congress have left the House, BJP has kept its councillors sitting with its chairman and MPs near the Commissioner in the MCD House. All the councillors of the BJP are sitting there right now. They knew beforehand that Delhi LG would write a letter, and the commissioner's orders were coming by 10 pm. They knew everything beforehand, that's why everyone is standing there."

Earlier Delhi LG VK Saxena has directed the MCD Commissioner to submit a report of the conduct of elections of the sixth member of the standing committee by 10 pm today.

"In case the Mayor is unavailable or refuses to preside over the meeting, the Deputy Mayor may be requested to preside over the meeting for conduct of elections. In case both are unwilling or unavailable, the seniormost member in order of seniority may be requested to discharge this function," LG VK Saxena said in the letter.

Meanwhile, MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar on Thursday issued an order for conducting the Standing Committee member election on September 27 at 1 pm.

The election for the standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was postponed on Thursday as the house meeting was adjourned, following protest by AAP councillors against the decision to ban mobile phones in the house.