MCD: AAP Fields Shelly Oberoi For Mayor Post, Aaley Muhammad Iqbal For Deputy Mayor

The MCD mayor is elected by all 250 councillors in the House, seven Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs from the city, and 14 MLAs nominated by the speaker of the Delhi Assembly.

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to field Shelly Oberoi as its candidate for the post of Mayor and Aaley Muhammad Iqbal for the Deputy Mayor post, the party's National Secretary, Pankaj Gupta informed on Friday.

Senior AAP leader Pankaj Gupta announced the names at a press conference. The party held a meeting of its political affairs committee (PAC) and following a discussion, the six names were shortlisted, news agency PTI reported.

The party's deputy mayor candidate, Aaley Mohammad Iqbal, is the son of AAP MLA Shoaib Iqbal.

The four names shortlisted for Standing Committee were Raminder Kaur, Sarika Chaudhary, Mohini Jeenwal, and Mohd Aamil Malik.

The election for Mayor and Deputy mayor will be held on January 6, 2023.

On December 7, the AAP wrested power from the BJP in the high-stakes civic polls. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party bagged 134 of the 250 wards while the BJP won 104.

Following the poll result, the then BJP President Adesh Gupta thanked the people of Delhi and the party's activists and leaders as it bagged 104 wards despite anti-incumbency.

The BJP had ruled the MCD -- trifurcated in 2012 into north, south, and east corporations and unified this year -- for 15 years.

The MCD mayor will be from the AAP and the BJP will play the role of a "strong opposition", Adesh Gupta had said, ending speculation over the saffron party staking a claim on the mayor's post despite losing the local body polls.

"We will play the role of a strong opposition in the MCD to save Delhi from the AAP, which has become synonymous with corruption," Gupta said during a press conference, as quoted by PTI.

Earlier this year, the AAP had emerged as the single-largest party in Chandigarh by winning 14 of the 35 wards in the municipal polls but the BJP secured the mayor's post.

The MCD mayor is elected by all 250 councillors in the House, seven Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs from the city, and 14 MLAs nominated by the speaker of the Delhi Assembly.

(With Agency Inputs)