Voting for the vacant seat in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's standing committee, its highest decision-making body, began on Friday with Additional Commissioner Jitender Yadav presiding over the process. While councillors of the ruling AAP abstained from the voting process, Congress corporators were also not present in the MCD House. Earlier in the day, Mayor Shelly Oberoi, in a press conference, termed the election "unconstitutional" and announced that AAP councillors would not take part in the poll. On Thursday, Congress Delhi chief Devender Yadav said they would not participate in the polls. Before the commencement of voting, an MCD official laid out rules for the casting of votes. He pointed out that no mobile phones were allowed in the House during the elections -- a point of contestation because of which the polls were postponed on Thursday.
The MCD order said that the matter was again placed before the Lt Governor as directed by him
LG VK Saxena has directed the MCD Commissioner to submit a report of the conduct of elections
Councillors Preeti, Sarita Phogat, and Praveen Kumar defected to BJP, lowering AAP's count in MCD to 125, just below the majority mark
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said works of public welfare "stalled by the BJP" will be now resumed and all damaged roads in the city will be repaired. The former Delhi chief minister claimed that he was sent to jail because the BJP's target was to defame the AAP government in Delhi by stalling work for the people. Accompanied by Chief Minister Atishi, the AAP supremo inspected the roads in the city and later said, "I want to assure the people of Delhi that I have come back and the stalled works will be resumed. All their problems will be solved." When asked if he would be seen playing a more active role, Kejriwal said "We are in action mode round the clock. I was in action mode even in jail." Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia and local MLA Dilip Pandey also accompanied Kejriwal and Atishi during their inspection of a road in the Delhi University (DU) area. "A few days ago I met their big leader. I asked what did you get with my arrest? I was shocked and felt sa
Advocate Vivek Jain appeared for Satyendar Jain and informed the court that the reply has been received an hour ago
A blame game erupted between the AAP government in Delhi and the LG Secretariat on Wednesday with the two holding each other responsible for the delay in the completion of 24 hospital projects in the national capital. They also accused each other of "planting" stories in the media. In June 2020, there were scientific projections that Delhi would have 20 lakh coronavirus patients and around 80,000 of them would require hospitalisation, the AAP said in a statement. "The Delhi government at that time was proactive to decide and allocate resources to... (arrange) thousands of ICU beds in the form of new hospitals and new hospital blocks. The Kejriwal government then always prioritised health of its people over budget constraints," it said. Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj was constantly writing to the lieutenant governor (LG) regarding his duty to create posts for the upcoming hospitals, the ruling party said. "The minister had been reminding the LG through written letters that till
A crucial day awaits the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Thursday, as the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP vie for dominance in the key Standing Committee elections. The election, set to fill the sole vacancy in the 18-member Standing Committee, the MCD's highest decision-making body, will take place on Thursday. This vacancy was created after BJP councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat resigned following her election from the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat earlier this year. In a setback for the AAP on Wednesday, three of its councillors switched sides and joined the BJP just a day before the Standing Committee election. Dilshad Colony Garden councillor Preeti, Green Park councillor Sarita Phogat, and Madanpur Khadar East councillor Praveen Kumar joined the BJP changing the numbers dynamics in the corporation. The BJP said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has lost majority in the MCD House and hence the "moral authority" to be in power. "The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has today lost majority among
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AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday sharpened his attack on the BJP government at the Centre, alleging that they wanted to "break" him in jail and make him join the NDA. "They don't know that I am from Haryana. You can break anyone, but not Haryanawaley," said Kejriwal during a roadshow in Dabwali in Sirsa district ahead of the assembly polls in the state. The AAP chief said the BJP was scared of his honesty and alleged that the party put him in jail in a "fake" case to "sully" his image. "They wanted to break me and they repeatedly asked me to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, National Democratic Alliance...I did not break and after coming out of jail, I am before you today," Kejriwal said at the roadshow held in support of Kuldeep Singh, the party's candidate from the Dabwali assembly seat. The former Delhi chief minister claimed that the BJP used "various tactics" to "break him". "They stopped my medicines. I am a diabetic but they stopped my insulin. My kidney would
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia on Sunday dubbed his relationship with the party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal as that of Lord Ram and Laxman and lashed at the BJP saying no "Ravan" can separate them. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva hit back, saying Sisodia was the "king of drama" and was trying to portray himself as Laxman ahead of Ramlila next month. At Kejriwal's first 'Janta ki Adalat' rally at Jantar Mantar here following his resignation as Delhi chief minister, Sisodia alleged the BJP wanted to separate him from Arvind Kejriwal but no "Ravan has the power to separate Laxman from Lord Ram". "As long as Arvind Kejriwal keeps fighting this battle as Ram against the Ravan of dictatorship, I will stand by his side as Laxman," he said. Sisodia asserted that he would not hold the post of deputy chief minister or education minister in the Delhi government unless people certify him as honest. Kejriwal resigned as Delhi chief minister post recently, saying he would hold the p
BJP leaders on Saturday extended their best wishes to Atishi on taking oath as chief minister of Delhi but said the people would not gain anything from the face change and they have no expectation from the AAP government. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, in a statement, said, "She has been unsuccessful as a minister and the people of Delhi have no expectations from her government." "With Atishi becoming chief minister, only the face of the government has changed, not its character. Corruption, neglect and chaos will persist," he claimed. In her first remarks after taking oath on Saturday, Chief Minister Atishi hit out at the BJP for hatching a "conspiracy" against her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal and urged the people of the capital to ensure that the AAP supremo returns to the post after the Assembly polls due early next year. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari congratulated Atishi on becoming chief minister and said that he expected her to focus on the "dilapidated" civic infrastructure in
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In her first remarks after taking oath, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi hit out at the BJP on Saturday for hatching a "conspiracy" against her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal and urged the people of the capital to ensure that the AAP national convenor returns to the top post again after the Assembly polls due early next year. Addressing a press conference here, Atishi said it is an "emotional day" for her as Kejriwal wil not continue to be the chief minister. "It is an emotional moment for me as he will not be the chief minister. He understood the pain of every person. He ensured free treatment for people, worked to improve the lives of the students of government schools, brought the provision of free bus rides for women. "The BJP implicated him in a false case and did everything to break him," the chief minister said, as she referred to Kejriwal as her "guru" and thanked him for giving her this opportunity. With the Assembly polls due early next year, Atishi said the people of the nationa
He also requested that the work to repair the roads under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) be carried out immediately, claiming that most of the roads are broken
The swearing-in ceremony of AAP leader Atishi as Delhi chief minister is expected to take place at Raj Niwas on Saturday evening, officials said. The official details of the timing of the oath ceremony are awaited as the process for gazette notification for resignation of outgoing chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, formation of the new government and oath of the new chief minister are still underway, they said. "The oath ceremony is expected to be held late Saturday afternoon or in the evening, after all the formalities are completed," the officials said. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources claimed that the ceremony may be held around 4.30 pm on Saturday. There was, however, no clarity if Atishi will take oath along with her council of ministers. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to be a low-key affair as the mood in the party is not upbeat because of Kejriwal's resignation and also because of the delay in approvals, leaving little time for preparations, said an AAP leader. After Kejriwa
AAP MP Raghav Chadha said that as the leader of a national party, he is entitled to government-provided accommodation and the Centre should grant him that
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday claimed that the next government in Haryana cannot be formed without the support of his party. Targeting the BJP, he claimed that the entire state wants "badlaav" (change). Joining the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP's) campaign in Haryana, the former Delhi chief minister said people will oust the BJP in the October 5 state assembly polls. Accompanied by AAP's Haryana unit chief Sushil Gupta, Kejriwal held a road show in the Jagadhri constituency in Yamunanagar district in favour of his party candidate Adarsh Pal. AAP is contesting the Haryana polls on its own after its talks with the Congress over a seat-share agreement broke down. Addressing the crowds during the road show in the afternoon, Kejriwal said entire Haryana wants "badlaav" this time. "AAP is getting so many seats... I calculated after reaching here... we are getting so many seats that the next government in Haryana cannot be formed without AAP's support. In entire Haryana, the f
AAP leaders Gopal Rai, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot, and Imran Hussain will retain their portfolios in the Delhi Cabinet