Op Kamal in MCD: Five AAP councillors join BJP

In a setback to the Aam Aadmi Party, five of its municipal councillors joined the BJP on Sunday. The switch will boost the BJP's chances of having a majority in the all-powerful standing committee of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD).

The AAP Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) councillors who switched sides to the BJP included Ramchandra (Ward 28), Pawan Sehrawat (Ward 30), Mamata Pawan (Ward 177), Sugandha Bidhuri (Ward 178) and Manju Nirmal of Ward 180, a statement from the Delhi BJP said.

The anti-defection law is not in force in Municipal Corporation of Delhi and punishes individual Members of Parliament (MPs)/MLAs for leaving one party for another. It was passed in 1985.

The joining of five councillors will enable the BJP to have majority in seven of the 12 ward committees of the MCD, a Delhi BJP leader said.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva alleged that these councillors "were troubled due to pressure to indulge in corruption and gather crowds for Aam Aadmi Party leaders".

"In all probability we will now get majority in the standing committee elections if Aam Aadmi Party allows the elections to take place," he said.

The MCD mayor earlier this week issued an order to the municipal secretary asking him to start the process for the election of the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the wards committee, as well as one member each from the 12 zones of the MCD to the standing committee.

The AAP had won 134 out of 250 wards in the MCD polls held in 2022. After the shifting of allegiance by some councillors, the party now has 127 councillors. The BJP after the joining , now has 112 councillors in the MCD.

The Aam Aadmi Party which has majority in the MCD and the opposition BJP had been at loggerheads over the issue after which the matter went to the Court.

As per the DMC Act, six out of the 18-member Standing Committee, MCD's highest decision-making body, are elected from the House, while the remaining 12 are elected from the ward committees constituted in each of the 12 zones of the civic body.