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BJP criticises decision to increase number of municipal wards

Staff Reporter

Congress, BJP councillors trade charges at MCD meeting

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Cabinet's decision to increase the number of wards in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in the civic body, while the ruling Congress has said it will follow the party high command's orders on the issue.

At a stormy meeting of the MCD Standing Committee here on Friday, councillors of the BJP and the Congress traded charges against each other over the issue. While the BJP councillors alleged that the Congress-ruled Centre and Delhi Government are deliberately trying to postpone the municipal elections, the Congress councillors said the polls would be held on time for which the State Election Commission has already started its preparations.

Accusing the Congress leadership of raking up the delimitation issue just to postpone the elections so that the party does not have to face a humiliating defeat, senior BJP Councillor Vijender Gupta said it was irrational to talk about increasing the number of wards without touching the executive wing of the civic body.

"Till 1993, the number of councillors was 200. However, an amendment was made in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, fixing the number of councillors at 134. And now a proposal to increase the number of wards without properly discussing the issue is a sham that would create an imbalance between the deliberative and executive wings of the civic body," said Mr. Gupta.

Mr. Gupta demanded that since there is little time left to complete the election process for the MCD, the delimitation process should be postponed and municipal elections conducted without any delay. Conducting municipal elections on time was also a constitutional obligation of the Government, the BJP Councillor added. However, senior Congress leaders in the MCD have vehemently denied any move to postpone the municipal elections. Stating that the State Election Commission has already started the process for the MCD elections, MCD House leader Jitender Kochar said the Congress is ready to face the elections. Refusing to comment on the move to increase the number of municipal wards, Mr. Kochar said: "All the Congress councillors would obey the high command's order on the issue."

Similarly, MCD Standing Committee Chairman J. K. Sharma criticised the BJP for politicising the issue.

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