Days After Losing Key Delhi Polls, BJP Says Civic Body Comes Under Centre

Days after losing Delhi's municipal elections to the Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP on Thursday said as per the new Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, the civic body now comes under the centre and is no longer accountable to the Delhi government.

The AAP ended BJP's 15-year-long tenure at the municipal corporation, winning the December 4 polls. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party won 134 of the 250 wards while the BJP lost power by bagging 104 wards only.

A spokesperson of the Delhi unit of BJP Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has no accountability towards the Delhi government or the Vidhan Sabha of the city.

"After the amendment in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the MCD is now under the Central Government or its representative Lieutenant Governor. The civic body is not accountable towards the Delhi government or the Legislative Assembly," Mr Kapoor said in a statement.

This statement came a day after AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, who chairs a Delhi Assembly committee on MCD, said the members of the panel will soon visit some of the cleanest cities in the country to study their solid waste management, segregation and sanitation models.

"The Lieutenant Governor should give clear instructions to the MCD officials that they are no longer answerable to the Delhi government or any committee of the Assembly," Mr Kapoor said.

"This announcement clearly shows that Bhardwaj and his fellow MLAs have the intention to interfere in the corporation's work and will also clash with their own councillors who have a majority in the newly formed municipal corporation," Mr Kapoor said.

He said it would be better if the AAP MLAs focus on getting public works done through Arvind Kejriwal government's departments like Public Works Department (PWD), Food and Civil Supplies and Delhi Jal Board among others.