First meet of MCD councillors on Jan 6

New Delhi: The first meeting of the newly-elected MCD councillors will take place on January 6, next year, sources said on Thursday.

On December 7, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the MCD polls with 134 seats, ending the 15-year rule of the BJP in the municipal corporation and reducing the Congress to just nine seats in a house of 250.

"Delhi LG, VK Saxena, in the exercise of powers vested in him vide Section 73 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, has approved the proposal to convene the first meeting of the MCD on Friday, January 6, 2023," a source said. The proposal to convene the first meeting of the civic body was moved by the Commissioner (MCD) on December 12, to the Urban Development Department, requesting LG's approval.

"Thereafter, the file approved by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is also Minister (Urban Development) and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, was received in Raj Niwas on December 14 and the LG accorded his approval on the same day itself," the source added. As per sub-Section (1) of Section 35 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, "The Corporation shall at its first meeting in each year, elect one of its members to the Chairperson to be known as the Mayor and another Member to be the Deputy Mayor of the Corporation."

As per Section 77 of the said act, the presiding officer at the meeting for the election of the Mayor shall be a councillor who is not a candidate for such election and shall be nominated by the LG. As per Section (3) of the DMC Act, 1957, the corporation shall consist of the councillors, members of Lok Sabha and members of Rajya Sabha from Delhi, one-fifth of the members of the Delhi Assembly are nominated by the Speaker by rotation every year and 10 persons are nominated by the Administrator (Aldermen without voting rights).