AAP announces Shelly Oberoi as mayor of Delhi Corporation ending 15-years of BJP monopoly

NEW DELHI: AAP has nominated Shelly Oberoi as mayor of Delhi Municipal Corporation. AAP MLA Shoaib Iqbal’s son Aaley Muhammad Iqbal was nominated as deputy mayor. The Delhi Municipal Corporation election is scheduled on January 6th. Shelly Oberoi had won from the ward that was dominated by the BJP.

The mayor and deputy mayor are elected by the councilors that won the election. The nominated members do not have voting rights. The AAP had won the election destroying the fifteen years of BJP monopoly at the Delhi Municipal Corporation. Out of the 250 civil wards, AAP won in 134 seats while BJP managed to secure 104 seats. The Congress won only in nine seats.

Media reported that BJP will not contest for the mayor’s post as AAP had a comfortable majority. BJP leader Adesh Gupta said that BJP will be a strong opposition.

In Delhi, the mayor is elected by 250 Municipal councilors, seven Lok Sabha MPs, three Rajya Sabha MPs, and the 14 MLA’s nominated by the Delhi Legislative Speaker.

However, BJP leader Amit Malaviya had given hints that the party would contest for the mayor seat. He said that the mayor will be decided by the nominated members and that in Chandigarh BJP candidate was elected as mayor even though AAP had won there. In January, AAP became the biggest single party after winning 14 seats out of 35. Yet BJP councilor was elected as mayor.