Having denied lok Sabha ticket from the North-West Delhi parliamentary constituency, BJP leader Yogendra Chandolia is set to be appointed the new Mayor of North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Chandolia, a two-time councillor and the Dalit face of the Delhi BJP, was denied ticket in the recent elections as the BJP fielded Udit Raj from the seat. The third year of the Corporation is reserved for the Scheduled Caste and the move is being seen as an attempt to placate Chandolia who was also a contender in the Delhi Assembly elections in December last year. Sources said Chandolia’s name has almost been shortlisted while the party leadership is yet to take a call on the next Mayors in South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations. Chandolia, currently a vice-president in Delhi BJP, has been the Standing Committee Chairman on two occasions — the first in the unified MCD and later in the North Delhi Corporation after trifurcation.
In North Delhi Corporation, the other contenders for the Mayoral post are Ram Kishan Basiwal and Poornima Vidyarthi. Basiwal is currently the chairman of the Education Committee while Vidhyarthi had unsuccessfully contested the Delhi Assembly Elections from Patel Nagar constituency. The Mayor’s election in North Delhi Corporation is scheduled for April 28. On the same day, the corporation would also elect the Deputy Mayor. BJP’s Master Azad Singh is currently the Mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and his term would conclude this month end.
On the other hand, sources said, the BJP leadership is indecisive over selecting the candidate for the Mayor’s post in South Delhi Corporation. Of the four SC councillors, the names of Khushi Ram, Pradeep and Dharmveer Sharma are being discussed. However, the party leaders are in a state of fix as all these councillors are first-timers and hence inexperienced. The BJP leadership has no option but to choose among these candidates. However, sources said Khushi Ram might be given prominence over others as he was also given the BJP ticket for the Assembly polls last year from Ambedkar Nagar constituency. The New Mayor in SDMC would replace Sarita Chaudhary.
