‘Civic bodies’ unification at least a year-long project’

BJP upbeat the exercise will spruce up the image of the corporations under the Centre; Opposition parties say the move will make no difference

The State Election Commission’s (SEC) decision to defer the announcement of dates for the civic polls in Delhi has irked the Opposition parties in the BJP-led municipal corporations – North, South and East.

The poll panel had cited a letter from the Centre, proposing unification of the three municipal corporations, as the reason for deferring the announcement. The Opposition — AAP and Congress — have termed the Centre’s intervention a “time-buying exercise, which will still not work in the BJP’s favour”.

Sources in the BJP said the Centre’s move has indeed paved the way for “at least a year-long project”, which would spruce up the image of the municipal corporations directly under the Union government and controlled by hand-picked bureaucrats.

Significant urban bodies such as the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi Cantonment are already under the Centre, given the administrative framework of the Capital.

With a unified municipal corporation added to this list, the BJP will now be able to pit itself directly against the AAP government and attempt to erode the latter’s presence in Delhi in the run-up to the Assembly election due in 2025.

“These three urban bodies [DDA, Delhi Cantt. And NDMC], directly under the control of the Centre through bureaucrats, command tremendous influence in Delhi. After the municipal corporations’ unification, it would not be too far beyond the mark to say that Delhi will literally have two parallel governments – not only because they will function from the same city but also wield more or less equal powers,” a senior BJP leader said.

“Over the coming months, pending salaries will be paid, projects stuck in financial limbo will be completed and a parallel model of governance rife with achievements will be created by the BJP to compete with AAP’s so-called ‘Delhi Model’, so that the people can decide which party to rely on in 2025,” another senior BJP leader said.