Phone call made from PMO to state election commissioner to defer MCD polls, claims Kejriwal

PTI

New Delhi, March 24

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed on Thursday that a phone call was made from the Prime Minister’s Office to the State Election Commissioner asking him to defer the municipal corporation polls here.

“This would not have happened anywhere in the world that a PM is getting an election deferred by directly calling and sending a letter to the election commission. The BJP doesn’t want elections. BJP leaders broke all the records of loot in the MCD,”Kejriwal claimed in the Delhi Assembly.

The chief minister’s remarks came after the Delhi SEC had earlier this month deferred the announcement of election schedule for the civic bodies after it received a communication from Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, saying the Centre plans to bring a Bill in the Budget session of Parliament to unify the three municipal corporations of Delhi.

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod to a Bill to merge the three municipal corporations in Delhi.

The Bill regarding the unification of civic bodies in Delhi is likely to be tabled in the ongoing Budget session of Parliament.

The AAP national convener also sought to know why the BJP did not reunify all the three municipal corporations in the last seven years.

“Were you (BJP) sleeping for seven years? The State Election Commission (SEC) was scheduled to declare the dates of MCD elections on March 9 at 5 pm, but a phone call from the PMO was made to the commissioner and a letter was sent just an hour before the announcement to cancel the polls,” he claimed.

Addressing the House, the chief minister alleged that the BJP hated Babasaheb Ambedkar because he gave the Constitution and democracy.

He dared the BJP to fight MCD elections timely and win.

“The biggest party of the world (BJP) got scared by the smallest party of the world (AAP),” Kejriwal said.

According to sources, there may be some reorganisation of wards in Delhi which might delay elections.

The source said the number of municipal wards in Delhi is likely to be capped around 250. Currently there are 272 municipal wards in the city.

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