AAP, BJP spar over delay in announcement of dates of Delhi civic polls

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday that the EC has come under pressure from the BJP to postpone the announcement of the civic polls dates. Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said it is CM Arvind Kejriwal who is actually fearing elections.

After the announcement of dates for Delhi’s three civic body polls was delayed, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday alleged that the Election Commission was 'scared' and 'put under pressure' by the BJP at the Centre.

Calling the development a 'murder of democracy', Sisodia said at a press conference, "The Election Commission was scared of the BJP at the Centre. How will such a Constitution survive? The central government put pressure on the EC and they stopped the announcement of elections. The last 15 years of the BJP in Delhi has been marked by corruption. As AAP would win 250 out of 272 seats, the BJP got nervous and postponed the date (of announcing the Municipal Corporation elections). The BJP doesn't have guts to face elections."

While postponing the announcement of the dates of the civic polls, Delhi State Election Commissioner (SEC) SK Srivastava said that the Centre wants to reorganise and unify the Delhi Municipal Corporations.

In response, Sisodia said, "The Delhi government has not received any proposal or information from the Central Government regarding the integration of the corporations."

Earlier, the schedule for MCD elections was to be announced by the SEC at 5 pm today. "We were about to announce the dates, but now it will take another five-seven days to announce them," he said.

Responding to the SEC's announcement, Sisodia further alleged, "The term of the Houses of the civic bodies in Delhi are ending. There was a pre-announced press conference where the dates were to be announced. Now, under pressure from the BJP at the Centre, the dates have been withheld."

He stated that never since Independence, has an "election commission acted in this manner".