All eyes on Delhi Mayor post as AAP sweeps MCD polls

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai and AAP MP Sanjay Singh during celebrations after AAP crossed the majority mark in the MCD polls. Credit: PTI Photo

All eyes are now set on who among the AAP women councillors will get the Delhi Mayor's post amid BJP's IT Cell head Amit Malviya on Wednesday suggesting that there could be cross-voting in favour of his party in the mayoral election and anything can happen in a "close contest".

Malviya's remarks in a tweet triggered speculation about cross-voting but numbers on papers do not give any encouraging signs for the saffron party to effect an 'Operation Lotus' in the Delhi Municipal Corporation though anti-defection law does have no effect here.

Also Read: MCD polls: AAP candidates record biggest, narrowest victory margins

"Now over to electing a Mayor for Delhi. It will all depend on who can hold the numbers in a close contest, which way the nominated councillors vote. Chandigarh has a BJP Mayor, for instance," Malviya tweeted in the afternoon after AAP romped home with 134 councillors in 250-member MCD. BJP could manage only 104 seats while Congress has won nine and independents three wards.

Later in the evening AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted, "BJP's game has started. Phone calls have started coming to our newly elected corporators. None of our councillors will be sold. We have told all corporators that if they get a phone call or someone comes to meet them, record it."

In the Delhi Mayor polls, which are held every year, 250 councillors, ten MPs of Delhi and 14 out of 70 MLAs can vote. None of the nominated councillors have voted in the mayoral election while 14 MLAs are chosen every year in rotation.

Of the 24 MLAs and MPs, the BJP can get only 9-10 while the rest will be bagged by the AAP. This would mean that AAP, on paper can get 148 votes against BJP's 114 and to bridge a gap of 34 votes is likely to be a herculean task, even if all the Congress and independent councillors joined hands with the BJP.

Hours after his tweet on the close contest, Malviya again tweeted, "AAP has announced that a woman will be Mayor of Delhi. What they didn’t tell you is that it is law of the land! First year it HAS to be a woman, someone from the general and reserved category in the following years. The last two years are open. Mayor is elected every year."

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