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Farhad Suri elected Mayor

Staff Reporter

High drama at Town Hall as BJP boycotts poll alleging that the Nizamuddin Councillor was facing a criminal case

V FOR VICTORY: Farhad Suri and Anita Babbar of the Congress after being elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: V. Sudershan

NEW DELHI: Congress Councillor from Nizamuddin Farhad Suri was on Wednesday elected Mayor of Delhi after the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party boycotted the poll alleging that Mr. Suri was facing a criminal inquiry. High drama was witnessed at Town Hall as supporters of Congress Councillor Ramesh Datta, who had written to Delhi Congress chief Ram Babu Sharma protesting against the candidature of Mr. Suri, demonstrated against the newly elected Mayor.

As expected, the election of Mr. Suri was a mere formality in the Congress-dominated 133-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi House. As soon as outgoing Mayor Satbir Singh set the election process in motion, BJP Councillors led by Leader of Opposition Subhash Arya objected to Mr. Suri's candidature quoting media reports and showing copies of FIR filed against him. However, the Congress Councillors strongly objected to the BJP's allegations leading to pandemonium in the House.

This led to BJP staging a walkout accusing the Congress of fielding a "tainted" Councillor as the first citizen of Delhi, after which the polling started. A total of 107 Councillors, including 104 of the Congress, exercised their franchised with all votes going to Mr. Suri while the BJP candidate Savita Gupta polled no vote.

Interestingly, Ramesh Datta too cast his vote in favour of Mr. Suri stating that he was doing so to honour the wishes of the party high command and he as voting for Congress president Sonia Gandhi even as his supporters protested outside the Town Hall. After casting his vote, Mr. Datta spoke to press persons stating that it was a sad day in the history of the civic body as a "criminal" has been elected Delhi Mayor. Stating that he would move court against the election, Mr. Datta also accused senior Congress leadership of ignoring grassroots workers and favouring rich and famous.

After Mr. Suri's emphatic victory, the BJP members took part in the election for the post of Deputy Mayor where the Congress' Anita Babbar was pitted against BJP's Surinder Singh. Here also it was a cakewalk for the Congress candidate who polled 101 votes against BJP's 15.

Similarly, three Councillors -- Mukesh Goel and Sanjay Puri of the Congress and Vijender Gupta of the BJP -- were elected to the powerful Standing Committee, while Congress' Ajit Chaudhary and Anil Chaudhary were elected members of the Education Committee.

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