BJP’s Satya Sharma and Sunder Singh flashing the victory sign after winning the Standing Committee polls on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

BJP councillors Satya Sharma and Sunder Singh on Thursday were elected as chairperson and the deputy chairperson respectively of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) Standing Committee, the civic body’s main decision-making arm with executive powers to approve projects worth over ₹5 crore.

The elections saw the participation of all 18 Standing Committee members. While the BJP councillors got 11 votes apiece, the AAP councillors who faced defeat — Praveen Kumar and Mohini Jeenwal — secured seven votes each.

“Without the Standing Committee’s approval, we were unable to hire new concessioners, issue major tenders for tasks such as garbage collection, or initiate new projects,” an MCD official said.

Speaking toThe Hindu, Ms. Sharma said, “We will focus on carrying out day-to-day work and providing basic amenities first, before looking towards bigger projects. Several daily functions such as garbage collection and processing, and distribution of uniforms and school books have been stalled. We want to ensure that we put these things in order first.”

Key priorities

Ms. Sharma said education and health would be key priorities, with initial goals including providing proper uniforms and books to all MCD schools and ensuring that MCD hospitals have adequate medicines as per requirements. She also vowed to work with the Delhi government to clear the city’s landfills.

Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, the Presiding Officer in the polls,  expressed confidence that the new panel will achieve new developmental milestones.

The committee’s formation was a longstanding issue, marred by multiple rounds of elections and litigation in the High Court.

In the current House, AAP has 97 councillors, while the BJP now holds the majority with 117 seats. The Congress has eight members in the MCD. 

The panel, formed after a three-year delay, is expected to hold its first meeting next week.