BJP councillors protesting against Mayor Mahesh Khichi for running the House ‘unconstitutionally’.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Raja Iqbal Singh, on Tuesday said the ruling AAP has lost its majority in the civic body and challenged Mayor Mahesh Khichi to convene a special session of the House on March 1 to prove the numbers.

“In the past few months, several AAP councillors have joined the BJP, raising serious doubts about the AAP’s majority in the corporation,” said Mr. Singh.

He alleged that the Mayor’s decision to conduct a House session on Tuesday for only three minutes, without the Opposition, was unconstitutional and a clear indication that AAP no longer holds the majority.

The LoP wrote to MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar, alleging that the House session, scheduled for 2 p.m., “was manipulated by AAP councillors, who, along with the Mayor, entered the House at 1.50 p.m., rushed through the agenda and adjourned the session within minutes”.

He added that as per the rules the Commissioner or an authorised official must be present to conduct House proceedings, but none were present.

The House, meanwhile, passed proposals on house tax waiver and regularisation of 12,000 contractual employees in the MCD. Mr. Khichi claimed that both proposals were successfully passed, asserting that the required number of councillors from the BJP’s side were present.