Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena ordered the election to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Standing Committee to be held on Thursday even as Mayor Dr Shelly Oberoi postponed the meeting of the House which was adjourned till October 5 after a ruckus broke out during the house session on Thursday over frisking of councillors

Saxena in an order stated, “The Commissioner is hereby directed to submit a report of conduct of elections of the sixth member of standing committee by 10 pm on Thursday positively.”

Saxena added that 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.

“Due to this unfortunate failure of the Mayor to discharge her function in conducting election for the sixth member of the standing committee, the extraordinary and exceptional powers under section 487 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 are required to be invoked,” the order read.

Earlier, the AAP councillors protested against the enforcement of a 'no phones' rule ahead of the election for a vacant Standing Committee seat. The rule prohibited councillors from carrying phones or other electronic gadgets into the House to ensure the secrecy of the ballot.

While BJP councillors complied with the rule and filled their seats inside the House, AAP councillors refused to part with their phones, staging a protest outside the hall and raising slogans. Congress councillors, meanwhile, were absent from the proceedings, having announced earlier in the day that they would not attend the election.

The MCD House proceeding for election to the lone standing committee seat was adjourned briefly amid uproar over frisking of councillors to check if anybody was carrying mobile phones.

As tensions escalated, Mayor Shelly Oberoi entered the House at 2:31 pm and adjourned the session for 15 to 20 minutes. She raised concern over the security check of councillors, claiming it was the first time this was happening. It was undemocratic and insulting for the members of the House, she said.

"It is an insult to the councillors," she remarked. "Physical frisking is being conducted, and these are all public representatives. This is hurting their dignity, sentiment, and even their freedom. This is wrong, and it goes against the principles of democracy. This has never happened in history. I direct the MCD Secretary and Commissioner to allow entry without physical checks," she stated.

After the Mayor’s departure, MCD Commissioner Ashwini Kumar emphasized the importance of the rule, stating, "Secrecy of the ballot is very important. It is written in law, so it is my humble request to all councillors to abide by this rule. Phones and other electronic gadgets are prohibited here."The mayor said she wanted the elections to happen but the atmosphere was disrupted due to the frisking. "This will be remembered in history. The way officers are pressurised and they did not comply to my orders. I am adjourning the House till October 5, 2 pm," she said later, and left the House.

The BJP councillors started raising slogans "Mayor hosh me aao" and "Standing Committee ka election karwao". Earlier, Commissioner Ashwani Kumar was heard requesting everyone on the microphone to follow rules and not bring mobile phones to the House.