The long due to mayoral elections for Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), slated to be held on November 14, will finally bring a Dalit candidate in the office, however with a reduced tenure after a seven-month standoff between the AAP and BJP.

The standoff between the parties led to repeated disruptions of the MCD House besides delaying the polls for five months initially scheduled for April this year.

With the elections approaching, both the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP are intensifying their campaigns, setting the stage for a closely-contested battle to decide Delhi’s next mayor. However, the new mayor and the deputy mayor will only get to serve for a period of five months.

According to MCD rules, mayoral elections are held annually in April with five-year tenure comprising five single-year terms on a rotation basis.

The first year is reserved for women, the second for open category, the third for reserved category, and the final two years again for the open category. This will be the third mayoral term since the AAP came to power in the MCD in December 2022, ending the BJP’s 15-year rule.

Current Mayor Shelly Oberoi has started holding meetings with the officials of all the 12 zones of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to review the pending works and projects to ensure they are completed before the elections.

Projects such as park fencing, beautification, gate installations, road repairs, street lighting, electricity supply, and the covering of open drains have been put forward for approval, an official said.