A huge ruckus erupted at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) meeting before the commencement of voting for the Delhi Mayor elections as the AAP and BJP councillors clashed over the swearing-in of nominated councillors.
In a video, BJP and AAP councillors could be seen storming the Well of the House and raising slogans against each other. Members were also seen pushing each other and some even fell to the ground.
When did the protest erupt?
Protests erupted when Satya Sharma, the temporary Speaker appointed by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, started swearing in the nominated members or aldermen.
After Sharma invited alderman Manoj Kumar to take his oath, AAP MLAs and councillors began to protest. Many also rushed to the Well of the House, shouting slogans.
The BJP councillors retaliated by raising slogans against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal as AAP members returned fire by sloganeering against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Why did AAP and BJP councillors clash?
The AAP has alleged that Saxena has appointed BJP leaders who were not experts in civic issues as aldermen.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a letter to Saxena on Thursday, also registered his protest on the issue.
AAP leaders said that the ruckus broke out after the party councillors objected to the swearing-in of the nominated councillors first, instead of the swearing-in of elected councillors. "The BJP is doing hooliganism. Swearing-in of the nominated councillors was being held first. A ruckus broke out when we objected to it and asked that the swearing-in of elected councillors should be held first. They (BJP) threw a momento," AAP councillor Praveen Kumar said.
Meanwhile, the BJP said that the AAP leaders created a ruckus because they were "scared". "The AAP has been defeated morally... Does it think that its councillors won't be supporting their party?" asked BJP MP Manoj Tiwari.
"All the ruckus is started by AAP leaders. This is because they are unaware of the rules. When they are in majority, why are they afraid? AAP MPs do the same in Rajya Sabha as well. They should allow voting," said BJP MP and Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi.
The MCD House comprises 250 elected councillors. The BJP's seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi and the AAP's three Rajya Sabha MPs and 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly Speaker will also participate in the elections to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. Six members of the standing committee will also be elected.
The Congress, which has nine councillors, has decided not to take part in the voting.
As the chaos continues, Marshals are present inside the Civic Center.
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