Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj suspected a conspiracy in the Delhi mayoral elections likely to be held on Friday.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Bharadwaj noted that the file of the presiding officer that goes to the lieutenant governor via the urban development minister to the chief minister has been directly sent to the LG’s office bypassing the minister.
He pointed out that the chief secretary sent the file directly to the LG’s office whereas the presiding officer has not been appointed. In this, the AAP leader saw an attempt to bring in a constitutional crisis.
He said that the ruling dispensation at the Centre is also trying to break the fixed procedure through the LG. as per the protocol the incumbent mayor would become the presiding officer.
The MCD is unaware, the Delhi government does not know what is to be done, Bharadwaj claimed, adding that what makes things more suspicious is the way things happened during the Chandigarh Mayor elections, where the presiding officer for the polls allegedly indulged in stealing votes.
Meanwhile, speaking to a news agency, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi said the appointment of the presiding officer is awaited, (for mayoral elections), which is to be done by the LG, and the file is in his office.
She hoped that the elections will be held peacefully and the BJP will not create a ruckus like the last time.
She mentioned that UD Minister had written a letter to LG asking that the file which was moved directly to him should have been moved by the elected government and hence be returned.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission’s approval for the mayoral polls had come, and now the LG’s response is awaited regarding the appointment of the presiding officer for the polls.