As the mayoral elections inch closer in Delhi Municipal Corporation, the process for the selection of candidates has begun in ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Congress. Moreover due to the long list of claimants, the BJP has been unable to finalise the candidates for the mayoral elections. This has led to the last date of filing nominations being extended for two days.
Officials in the corporation said that due to the presence of multiple candidates, consensus is yet to be reached on the candidature for Mayor and Deputy Mayor in South MCD. In the last mayoral elections, BJP won the Mayor seat by a whisker. Its candidate had won just by one vote to Congress whereas the Deputy Mayor post went to the Congress itself. With a considerably good performance in mayoral elections in previous years, the Congress this time too has decided to put forth its candidate for Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts.
The bone of contention however, remains the presence of too many candidates for the key positions. In Congress, Deputy Mayor Praveen Rana, Central zone chairman Indu, previous Mayor candidate Dharamveer, Satish Gupta, Virender Kasana are some names for the coveted position. A meeting will be held by Congressmen to reach a consensus on the mayoral candidate. If the meeting fails to reach a unanimous decision to decide the candidate, then the leader of Opposition Farhad Suri will contest for the Mayor’s post.
After facing a crushing defeat in Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP is likely to face a tough battle to retain the Mayor’s post in South Delhi Municipal elections. Of the total 97 House members, at present there are 42 councillors of the BJP. With five MlAs and MPs also having the right to vote, the strength goes up to 106. The party needs at least 53 votes to secure a majority. The election is scheduled for April 24. April 16 is the last date for filing of nomination. The BJP has 46 votes in the House along with support from its four MPs.