New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) standing committee on Tuesday completed the process of retiring nine members through a draw of lots. Several AAP councillors, however, questioned the legality of the session.Of the 18-member committee, six from BJP and three from AAP were retired. While elections for six seats will be conducted in the respective zones from which the members have stepped down, the remaining three members will be elected by the House.The committee had earlier comprised 11 BJP and seven AAP members.Those retired from the zones include Rajpal Singh (Sriniwaspuri) from Central, Anju Devi (Pooth Khurd) from Narela, Neema Bhagat (Geeta Colony) from Shahdara South, Indrajeet Sehrawat (Mahipalpur) from Najafgarh and Shikha Bhardwaj (Saraswati Vihar) from Keshavpuram — all from BJP — along with Ankush Narang (Ranjeet Nagar) from Karol Bagh, an AAP councillor. Elections for these seats will be conducted in May.The other members retired include Mohini Jinwal (Sunder Nagri) and Mohd Aamil Malik (Sri Ram Colony) from AAP, and Pankaj Luthra (Jhilmil) from BJP, all of whom belong to Shahdara North zone. Elections to these three seats will be held in the next House meeting scheduled in April, alongside the polls for mayor and deputy mayor.At present, BJP holds a majority in all five zones from which its members were retired. AAP has a majority in Karol Bagh zone, making it relatively easier for the party to retain its seat. However, given BJP’s overall majority in the House, AAP may face difficulty in regaining its two seats.Currently, the 250-member MCD House comprises 123 BJP councillors, 100 from AAP, 15 from Indraprastha Vikas Party, nine from Congress and an independent member. One seat is vacant.With 50% of the members retired, the meeting of the standing committee will happen after elections for the vacant seats are completed and a new standing committee chairperson is elected. In the existing circumstances, agendas pending for approval will continue to be on hold. However, in an urgency, current chairperson Satya Sharma can give anticipatory approval until a successor is elected.Sharma said with the induction of new members, the committee will remain committed to prioritising public welfare and serving the best interests of citizens.The retirement process on Tuesday unfolded amid protests by AAP councillors, who said the proposal to conduct the draw had not been formally approved and that minutes of previous standing committee meetings were yet to be confirmed. “In the given circumstances, the entire process is invalid,” said AAP councillor Parveen Kumar, who also submitted a dissent note.Officials, however, maintained that the participation of all elected members, including those from AAP, in the proceedings indicated that due process was followed and the agenda was approved.In his note addressed to the standing committee chairperson, Kumar also flagged alleged irregularities in the town vending department and decisions taken without prior approvals, in violation of the MCD Act.
