Stormy Start To MCD House Meet As AAP Disrupts Proceedings, Objects To Aldermen Being Sworn In First

The first session of the reunified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) at the Civic Centre was adjourned after AAP councillors disrupted the proceedings to prevent the administration of oaths to 10 aldermen nominated by the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors and MLAs raised slogans, entered the well of the House, stood on the table after the presiding officer, Satya Sharma, called on the aldermen to take oath.

In the videos that emerged, the AAP councillors were seen disrupting the proceedings and MLA Atishi was seen encouraging her counterparts to prevent the oath ceremony from taking place.

AAP MLA and spokesperson, Saurabh Bhardwaj, defended the party's actions, claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the LG are attempting to take control of the MCD through unconstitutional means.

The mayoral elections that were scheduled for today (6 january) have been postponed due to the adjournment of the MCD House meeting.

Both the AAP and the BJP had nominated candidates for the mayor and deputy mayor elections. The AAP has 134 councillors while the BJP has 104.

The chain of events has led to concerns about confrontational politics that has become synonymous with the AAP and what it would mean for the functioning of the MCD in the next five years.