AAP, BJP Get 3 Seats Each In Delhi's Top Civic Body Panel

Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will have to share the powerful standing committee of the capital's municipal corporation with the opposition BJP.

The long-awaited election results for the top decision-making panel of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have finally been announced, following a legal challenge and subsequent ruling by the Delhi High Court.

The election, originally held on February 24, resulted in a 3-3 split of seats between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP.

The MCD standing committee has 18 members. Six are elected from the house, and each of the civic body's 12 zones sends one representative.

The elected AAP members are Raminder Kaur, Mohini Jinwal, and Amil Malik. Their BJP counterparts are Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Pankaj Luthra, and Gajendra Daral.

A fourth AAP candidate, who would have given the party a clear edge over the opposition outfit, had to face defeat.

The announcement of the results was delayed due to a dispute over one invalidated vote, which prompted the Mayor of Delhi, Shelly Oberoi, to call for a re-election. This decision was met with an uproar, and a re-election was scheduled for February 27.

The BJP councillors, Shikha Rai and Kamaljeet Sehrawat, challenged the Mayor's decision in the Delhi High Court. The court found in favour of the BJP councillors, ruling that the decision to declare a vote invalid was "bad in law." The court further ordered that the rejected ballot be counted.

On May 23, the Delhi High Court set aside the Mayor's decision for a re-election and directed her to announce the results of the February 24 elections. The court remarked that announcing re-elections without declaring the results of the previous poll "prima facie violates regulations".

The AAP and the BJP have been locked in a bitter battle over the control of the MCD eve after the AAP emerged victorious in the December election, ending the BJP's 15-year rule.