Counting underway to elect MCD standing committee members

Counting of votes is currently underway in the municipal House after polling to elect six members of the MCD's standing committee closed with 242 of the 250 councillors exercising their franchise on Friday.

The panel is the highest decision-making body of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi was the last councillor to cast her vote around 2.30 pm. After a 10-minute break following the close of polls, the mayor announced that no member shall leave the chamber till the exercise was completed. She also announced that 242 councillors voted while eight did not. A municipal official announced the names of the councillors who did not vote -- Mandeep Singh, Ariba Khan, Nazia Danish, Sameer Ahmad, Shagufta Chaudhary Zubair, Sabila Begum, Naziya Khatoon and Zarif. All eight belong to the Congress.

The counting exercise, which is being video recorded, began shortly after and the process is currently underway. Polling started around 11.15 am and nearly 220 councillors had cast their votes by 2 pm.

A fresh poll is being conducted to elect six members of the the MCD's highest decision-making body on the order of Oberoi.

The BJP had demanded a fresh poll to elect the six members. A few BJP councillors raised ''Jai Shri Ram'' and pro-Modi slogans while AAP members countered them with chants of ''Aam Aadami Party zindabad'' and ''Arvind Kejriwal zindabad''.

Earlier in the day, Oberoi announced in the House that a fresh poll would be held to elect the standing committee members.

Mobile phones will not be allowed in the booth area during the election process, she had said. On February 17, the Supreme Court ordered issuing a notice within 24 hours for convening the first meeting of the MCD to fix the date of elections for the mayor, deputy mayor and members of the standing committee.

Seven candidates are in the fray for the standing committee's six members. The AAP has nominated Aamil Malik (Sri Ram Colony ward), Raminder Kaur (Fateh Nagar ward), Mohini Jeenwal (Sundar Nagari ward) and Sarika Chaudhary (Daryaganj ward). Kamaljeet Sehrawat (Dwarka-B ward) and Pankaj Luthra (Jhilmil ward) are contesting for the BJP. Independent councillor Gajender Singh Daral, who later joined the BJP, is also a candidate.