MCD Mayoral polls likely to be held soon, says Officials

Elections to the posts of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and key civic panels in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi are likely to be held soon, with the process expected to take place in the last week of April, officials said on Monday. Officials said polls to fill three vacant seats in the standing committee from the House are also scheduled during the same window. Last year, the AAP stayed away from the mayor contest, allowing the BJP to win unopposed.

The mayoral post in Delhi follows a rotational system of five one-year terms, where the first year is reserved for women, the second for the general category, the third for the reserved category, and the remaining two again for the general category.

A new mayor is elected at the end of each financial year. Last year, the BJP reclaimed control of the MCD after a two-year gap. The previous elections had seen repeated disruptions, with sharp disagreements between AAP and BJP councillors leading to adjournments. Before that, attempts to elect a Mayor had failed amid the standoff before the process could be completed.

This year, a total of 249 councillors, 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly, seven Lok Sabha MPs and three Rajya Sabha members have formed the electoral college to elect the mayor. A candidate will require 137 votes to secure a win.

Currently, the BJP has 141 votes, including 123 councillors, seven Lok Sabha MPs and 11 MLAs. AAP has 106 votes, comprising 100 councillors, three Rajya Sabha members and three MLAs.  Other votes include Congress, 9, Indraprastha Vikas Party, 15, All India Forward Bloc, 1, and one Independent.

Alongside, the civic body is also mulling to conduct elections for Town Vending Committees (TVCs) in the coming months, which play a role in managing street vending across the city. Around 27 such committees are expected to be formed. Each will have a dozen representatives from among street vendors, with the rest drawn from resident welfare associations, market bodies, experts and voluntary groups.

Only vendors holding valid Certificates of Vending (CoVs) will be eligible to vote, with the MCD preparing electoral rolls for the exercise. With 250 wards spread across 12 zones, norms require at least one committee for every eight wards in each zone.

These panels are tasked with identifying vending and no-vending zones, regulating hawkers, and addressing congestion and public safety.

Officials said the committees will also have the power to relocate vendors from overcrowded stretches, though there are flagged gaps in the survey process, which is used to identify eligible vendors.