MCD House adjourned: Unable to digest defeat in mayoral polls, BJP resorting to hooliganism, says AAP

PTI, Feb 23, 2023, 12:18 PM IST

With the MCD House being adjourned for the day on Thursday amid ruckus over the standing committee election, the AAP accused the BJP of resorting to “hooliganism” as it was unable to digest its defeat in the MCD mayoral polls.

Several members of both the parties exchanged blows and hurled plastic bottles at each other in the chamber of the MCD House on Wednesday night. The chaos continued on Thursday morning forcing Mayor Shelly Oberoi to adjourn the House till 10 am on Friday.

While the BJP is protesting against the mayor’s decision to allow members to carry mobile phones to the booth area during the election of the MCD panel, the AAP said there is no ban on mobile phones while casting vote.

Addressing a press conference at the civic centre, Oberoi alleged that some BJP councillors threw the ballot box and tore ballot papers during the election for the standing committee.

”It’s shameful what the BJP councillors did. The ballot box was thrown, ballot papers were torn and I was attacked,” she said, adding that the BJP councillors gheraoed the well of the House and the proceedings had to be adjourned 13 times.

”The BJP resorted to unconstitutional behaviour in the house once again. It is the loss of the people of Delhi. BJP’s Rekha Gupta and Amit Nagpal resorted to hooliganism in the house and we will take action against them,” she said.

She further said there is no such act that says mobile phones are banned while casting votes.

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged that the BJP is “not being able to accept their defeat” in the mayoral polls and was resorting to “hooliganism” in the House.

“When the BJP resorted to hooliganism, 47 votes were already cast for the standing committee. Election can never be conducted in this manner. What if the BJP resorts to hooliganism again after 100 votes and asks to consider them invalid?” Senior AAP leader Atishi said.

On Wednesday night, a few BJP members claimed that some of their fellow party councillors got hit with objects flung in the air, while the mayor alleged that some BJP councillors tried to attack her during the proceedings to hold the election to pick the six members of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).