The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will conduct ward committee elections on September 4 to appoint chairmen and deputy chairmen for each of its 12 zonal bodies, an official order reads. These elections will be carried out via secret ballot in accordance with the Delhi Municipal Corporation Regulations, 1958.
Councillors must submit their nominations to the municipal secretary by August 30. The elections for six zones—City and SP Zone, Rohini Zone, Najafgarh Zone, West Zone, South Zone, and Central Zone—will take place between 10 am and 4 pm at Hansraj Gupta Auditorium at the MCD headquarters. Simultaneously, elections for the remaining six zones—Karol Bagh Zone, Keshav Puram Zone, Shahdara South Zone, Shahdara North Zone, Civil Lines Zone, and Narela Zone—will be held at Satya Narayan Bansal Auditorium at the MCD headquarters.
According to the DMC regulations, candidates must submit a nomination paper signed by the candidate and two other Corporation members, acting as proposer and seconder. Nominations must be delivered to the municipal secretary between 11 am and 5 pm at least three clear days before the election, which means by Friday, August 30. Candidates are allowed to withdraw their candidacy at any time before the election commences.
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The ward committees play a crucial role in forming the standing committee, the MCD’s highest decision-making body. During their first annual meeting, each ward committee elects one councillor as chairman and another as deputy chairman of the zonal body. Additionally, they nominate one member for the standing committee.
The upcoming elections on September 4 will serve as the first meeting of the ward committees. The elections have been delayed by over 18 months due to a political deadlock between the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP, which has resulted in several key policy decisions being stalled due to the lack of administrative approval from the standing committee.. (With inputs from PTI)