After the announcement of dates for Delhi’s three civic body polls was delayed, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday alleged that the Election Commission was ‘scared’ and ‘put under pressure’ by the BJP at the Centre.
Calling the development a ‘murder of democracy’, Sisodia said at a press conference, “The Election Commission was scared of the BJP at the Centre. How will such a Constitution survive? The central government put pressure on the EC and they stopped the announcement of elections. The last 15 years of the BJP in Delhi has been marked by corruption. As AAP would win 250 out of 272 seats, the BJP got nervous and postponed the date (of announcing the Municipal Corporation elections). The BJP doesn’t have guts to face elections.”
While postponing the announcement of the dates of the civic polls, Delhi State Election Commissioner (SEC) SK Srivastava said that the Centre wants to reorganise and unify the Delhi Municipal Corporations.
In response, Sisodia said, “The Delhi government has not received any proposal or information from the Central Government regarding the integration of the corporations.”
Earlier, the schedule for MCD elections was to be announced by the SEC at 5 pm today. “We were about to announce the dates, but now it will take another five-seven days to announce them,” he said.
Responding to the SEC’s announcement, Sisodia further alleged, “The term of the Houses of the civic bodies in Delhi are ending. There was a pre-announced press conference where the dates were to be announced. Now, under pressure from the BJP at the Centre, the dates have been withheld.”
He stated that never since Independence, has an “election commission acted in this manner”.
“It (election body) has bent, and knelt down before the BJP at the Centre, after getting scared of it (BJP),” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
The last civic polls in Delhi were held in April 2017. The city has three civic bodies — North South and East Delhi municipal corporations. While the NDMC and the SDMC have 104 wards each, the EDMC has 64 wards.
WHAT IS BJP’S RESPONSE?
On the other hand, Delhi BJP unit president Adesh Gupta said that the party never fears elections and it is always prepared for any electoral test.
“Ten years ago, the MCD was trifurcated into three municipal corporations. But the experience since the last decade tells us that the decision has not helped in betterment of administration and has caused economic crises in civic bodies,” he said.
Gupta alleged, “People of Delhi really know that Arvind Kejriwal government’s biased attitude towards civic bodies has increased problems. In the last seven years, the AAP government has withheld municipal funds to weaken the administration of the civic bodies.”
He stated that the Centre has decided to intervene by improving the administration of the municipal corporations.
“It is regrettable that CM Kejriwal has reacted with his well-known anarchic language. It is CM Kejriwal who is actually fearing elections as there is widespread resentment amongst people due to his corrupt liquor policy. His statement is just public posturing while, in truth, he is very happy today,” the Delhi BJP chief further said.
Earlier today, Kejriwal said that the municipal polls in Delhi have been deferred as the BJP has accepted defeat and is running away. He also said that the Election Commission should not have come under the BJP’s pressure.
“The municipal polls in Delhi have been deferred as the BJP has accepted defeat and is running away. In our survey, out of 272 seats, 250 seats came up. Now more than 260 will come. But, the Election Commission should not have come under the pressure of BJP,” he tweeted.
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