MCD standing committee's six vacant seats likely to be filled this month

According to officials, the remaining six vacant seats on the standing committee will be filled through elections from the zonal ward committees in the meeting, which is likely to be held in the third or fourth week of May. Nine members retired after a draw of lots conducted on March 31, they added.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi's 18-member standing committee is likely to fill six vacant seats in the upcoming weeks, officials said on Thursday. The standing committee has 18 members and serves as the top executive and decision-making body of the corporation. It handles key financial functions, approves projects and plays a central role in shaping, finalising and implementing policies for the city. According to officials, the remaining six vacant seats on the standing committee will be filled through elections from the zonal ward committees in the meeting, which is likely to be held in the third or fourth week of May. Nine members retired after a draw of lots conducted on March 31, they added. On April 29, Jai Bhagwan Yadav from Begumpur and Manish Chadha from Paharganj were elected to the standing committee from the BJP, while AAP councillor Jalaj Chaudhary from Shalimar Bagh was also elected to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) panel, taking the tally of the panel to 12. Out of 18, six are elected from the MCD house and 12 from each zonal ward committee. Under MCD rules, each standing committee member has a two-year term, but after the first year, half the members retire through a draw of lots. Officials said the draw of lots process is carried out only once during the five-year tenure of the corporation, at the end of the first year of the standing committee. At the end of the next financial year, the remaining nine members will automatically retire. According to the outcome in March 31 meeting, six ward committee members and three house members were excluded by the draw. Of these, six members belong to the BJP and three to AAP. Among those nine excluded on March 31, one member from the house and five from ward committees were from the BJP, while AAP saw two members from the house and one from a ward committee being left out. Shikha Bharadwaj, Indrajeet Sehrawat, Rajpal Singh, Anju Devi, Nema Bhagat and Pankaj Luthra of the BJP, and Ankush Narang, Mohini Jeenwal and Amil Malik of AAP were the nine councillors who exited the standing committee via draw of lots on March 31. Now in the composition, seven councillors from the BJP and five from AAP remain in the committee. According to officials, it is likely that the BJP is going to retain five seats, AAP is going to retain one in the upcoming elections, taking the final tally to 12 BJP members and six AAP members.