AAP Mayor Shelly, her deputy Iqbal re-elected unopposed

New Delhi, April 26

After Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) candidate Shikha Rai withdrew her nomination, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Shelly Oberoi was re-elected as Mayor of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) unopposed on Wednesday.

Apart from her, incumbent Deputy Mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal also got another term as BJP candidate Soni Pal withdrew her nomination.

The BJP said the withdrawal by their candidates from the posts was a mark of protest against the AAP for not allowing the formation of MCD’s strong decision-making body — Standing Committee.

Delhi BJP General Secretary, Harsh Malhotra, said,”AAP is not allowing the constitution of the Standing Committee. Therefore, we have decided to withdraw our candidates from the election.”

Notably, the post of Mayor in the National Capital sees five single-year terms on a rotational basis with the first year reserved for women. The second year for the open category, the third for the reserved category and the remaining two years again have been reserved for the open category. The MCD gets a new Mayor after the end of every financial year.

Meanwhile, AAP MCD Incharge and MLA Durgesh Pathak said the BJP didn’t have the numbers to contest the elections.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: “Congratulations Shelly and Aley on again becoming mayor and deputy mayor, this time unopposed. Best wishes to both. People have huge expectations from us. Work hard to meet their expectations.”