After three failed attempts by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to hold election to the mayoral post, Aam Aadmi Party’s Shelly Oberoi on Wednesday was elected new mayor of Delhi after she secured 150 votes and defeated BJP’s nominee Rekha Gupta by a margin of 34 votes.

The MCD held the voting process on Wednesday after three failed attempts on January 6, January 24 and February 6. Three previous meetings of the MCD were adjourned without holding elections following a tussle between BJP and AAP councillors over the ‘voting rights of nominated councillors’.

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The mayoral elections were held following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter.

The voting began at 11:30 am after the apex court stepped in and ruled that the election to the mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi shall be conducted first. The court had also ruled that the aldermen (nominated persons) would have no right to vote.

The voting, which started at around 11.30 am, went on for more than two hours. A total of 10 nominated MPs, 14 nominated MLAs and 241 elected councillors out of 250 voted in the mayoral election. BJP’s nominee got 116 votes. A total of 266 votes were cast for the mayoral election.

After the counting process was over, the AAP members were seen celebrating the victory by raising slogans. Presiding officer Satya Sharma announced the name of Shelley Oberoi as the new mayor.

After Oberoi’s name was announced as the new mayor of MCD, she thanked the people of Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal, L-G VK Saxena and the leaders and workers of the party.

In her first speech in the MCD House, she said, “All of you have elected me as the Mayor of Delhi. The people of the national capital have dreamt of making Delhi clean and beautiful, we all have to work together for this. We will run the House as per the Constitution and the DMC Act.”

Congratulating Oberoi, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said in a tweet, “Gunde har gaye, janata jeet gayi (Goons lost, people won). Many congratulations to all the workers on becoming the Mayor of Aam Aadmi Party in Municipal Corporation of Delhi and once again wholehearted gratitude to the people of Delhi.”

The Delhi election was due after the Aam Aadmi Party won the MCD elections in December last year.

In the last meeting, presiding officer Satya Sharma of the BJP had administered oath of office to the aldermen, the members nominated by Lt Governor VK Saxena before administering the oath to the elected councillors.

A plea was thereafter filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi LG’s decision to permit the nominated members to vote, after which the top court on February 8 issued a notice to the LG. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also had sent a proposal to the LG to conduct elections on February 22 which was approved on February 18.

As per the order issued by the lieutenant governor, elections for the mayor, deputy mayor and six members of the standing committee are held on Wednesday.

According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the Municipal House has to meet within a month after the conclusion of the civic polls and elect the mayor.

The municipal elections in Delhi were held on December 4 and the results were announced on December 7. Aam Aadmi Party won 134 seats out of 250.