AAP, BJP claim councillors from other side ready to defect

New Delhi: With the MCD zonal-level ward committee elections just a few days away, AAP and the BJP have claimed that councillors from the other side are ready to defect. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday announced the date for the long-pending ward committee elections, essential for the formation of the standing committee, MCD’s highest decision-making body which is important for approving proposals involving expenditures of Rs 5 crore and above.

The ward committee elections will be held across its 12 zones on September 4 through secret ballot. A senior functionary from AAP said that six councillors are expected to join the party in the next couple of days. The party had received a setback when five of its councillors had joined the BJP on Sunday. However, one of the councillors Ramchandra returned to AAP on Thursday.

“There are some councillors from the BJP who will join our party in the next few days. Two of our councillors are returning to the party fold while at least four BJP councillors are likely to come to us,” he added. The 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 (ward 180). The anti-defection law is not in force in the MCD and punishes individual MPs/MLAs for defecting. It was passed in 1985. A senior Delhi BJP functionary said the councillors who wanted development of their respective wards were looking towards the BJP since “corruption” of AAP has hindered working of the civic body. He said that recently five AAP councilors quit the party because they were feeling “suffocated there due to “corruption”.

“There are many councillors of AAP who are frustrated with the working of the party and looking to leave it at the first chance. Our doors are open for those who wish to work for Delhi’s people,” he added. The BJP had said on Sunday that the joining of five councillors will enable them to have a majority in seven of the 12 ward committees of the MCD.