With Atishi's appointment as Delhi CM, path clear now for election of mayor

NEW DELHI: The selection of a new chief minister on Tuesday will facilitate the election of the mayor in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Following the CM's appointment, MCD is likely to seek the mayor's approval to determine the date for conducting the election during a House meeting. Subsequently, a proposal will be submitted to the lieutenant governor through the urban development department, requesting the appointment of a presiding officer, officials said.
For the past six months, the process of electing the mayor was suspended due to the LG's requirement for "input from the CM regarding the appointment of the presiding officer for the election".
Raj Niwas issued a letter on behalf of LG VK Saxena before the election on April 26, stating that he "does not deem it appropriate to exercise his power as administrator to appoint the presiding officer in the absence of the inputs from the chief minister".
Officials said that the election was postponed indefinitely and thus the nominations filed in April for the mayor and deputy mayor's post by political parties will remain valid and the file will be moved only for the appointment of the presiding officer.
Sources indicate that the election of the mayor might be held during the House meeting scheduled for Oct, if everything goes smoothly.
This year, the mayor is supposed to be elected from the reserved category. AAP has nominated Mahesh Khichi from Dev Nagar and BJP has nominated Kishan Lal from Shakurpur. Three nominations have been made for the deputy mayor's seat and these continue to be valid, officials said.
The post of mayor sees five single-year terms on a rotation basis. In the first year, the post is reserved for women, the second for the open category, the third for the reserved category, and the remaining two for the open category again.
In the coming House meeting on Sept 26, the election for the post of the 18th Standing Committee member will take place after which the Standing Committee will be constituted. The last date for filing nominations for the Standing Committee member is Sept 19. In the same house meeting, the agenda for holding the chairman's election is expected to be placed too. Once approved, the election can happen in a month.
Of the 250 councillors, 127 are from AAP, 112 from BJP, nine from Congress and one independent. One seat is vacant after MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat resigned from the councillor's seat.Considering AAP has the majority, the chances of its nominated candidate winning the election is high.
As of now, the election for 17 Standing Committee members is done. Nine are from BJP and eight from AAP. "If the ninth member is elected from AAP, both parties will have equal strength, and the chairman will be elected through a draw of lots," said the official.