MCD polls to be on time: Congress

New Delhi, Jan 10 (UNI) The Congress today reiterated that the polls for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, to be held in March-April, would be as per schedule.

''The polls for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will be on time,''All India Congress Committee General secretary and party incharge for Delhi Ashok Gehlot told mediapersons after a meeting of senior party leaders from Delhi called to discuss various issues pertaining to the state including the forthcoming MCD polls and the 2021 Master Plan.

Dismissing charges by the opposition BJP that passage in the Delhi Legislative Assembly of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2007, seeking to increase number of seats in the MCD House, was a move to postpone MCD polls, Mr Gehlot said,'' introduction of the Bill to increase the number of Municipal Councillors was necessary as keeping in view the needs of the city it is necessary to have one ward for 50000 people. The process of the delimitation of wards is already on and will not lead to any delay in the polls.'' He came down on the BJP to attempting to take political mileage out of the issue.

The meeting, held this afternoon, was attended by Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy, Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Congress MP from Delhi Jagdish Tytler, Delhi Finance and Urban Development Minister A K Walia, Delhi Health Minister Yoganand Shastri, Civil Supplies Minister in the Delhi government and Delhi Pradesh Congress committee chief Ram Babu Sharma.

Speaking after the meeting, DPCC chief Rambabu Sharma said,''we have been stating all along that the polls for the MCD House will be held before March 31.'' Reterating that the 2021 Master Plan would be implemented before January 31, Mr Sharma expressed confidence that it would solve the [problems of Delhiites.

''I am sure that the Congress will emerge triumphant in the forthcoming MCD polls,''he said.

The BJP has alleged that the passage of the DMC (Amendment) Bill just a few months before the election was a move designed to postpone the polls to the Corporation.

The Bill seeks to increase the number of MCD wards from 134 at present to "not less than 272 and not more than 300".

The aim is to have one wards per 50000 people.

UNI