New Delhi: Alleging that the Arvind Kejriwal government is deliberately delaying the delimitation of municipal wards, leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Tuesday wrote to the Union home minister Rajnath Singh seeking his intervention to overrule the Delhi government to ensure timely municipal polls next year.
Pointing that only three-and-a-half months were left for completing the entire process of delimitation of municipal wards, holding elections to the North, East and South Municipal corporations and installing the new deliberative wings in these local bodies, Mr Gupta warned that any further delay on the part of the Delhi government will lead to a constitutional crisis.
“It appears that the Delhi government is not at all serious about holding civic elections in time. The report was sent to the chief secretary on November 20 after finalisation of all the requisite formalities despite a lapse of five weeks, the report is still pending leading to delay in the process of municipal elections,” added Mr Gupta.
He alleged that the AAP government has political considerations for withholding the process of delimitation.
In a letter to the home minister on Tuesday, Mr Gupta requested him to take timely action to avert the major constitutional crisis.
Leader of Opposition drew attention of the home minister to the Clause 6 of Section 3(b) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 (Amended 1991), which empowers the Central government after each Census to determine the number of seats of the civic body by notification in the official gazette. “In case of delay in the process by Delhi government, the Central government should intervene to ensure that the three municipal governments are installed in time,” said Mr Gupta.
Mr Gupta claimed that the state election commission of the national capital has already completed the exercise for delimitation of wards in Delhi and sent it to the state government.
“It appears that the Delhi government is not at all serious about holding civic elections in time. The report was sent to the chief secretary on November 20 after finalisation of all the requisite formalities despite a lapse of five weeks, the report is still pending leading to delay in the process of municipal elections,” added Mr Gupta.
