AAP-BJP members clash, councillor faints... Delhi's election to forget

A fight broke out in the MCD House as Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Aadmi Party members kicked, punched and pushed one another amid shouting after mayor Shelly Oberoi declared one vote invalid in the election to a key six-member municipal committee on Friday.

During the ruckus, which forced adjournment of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House proceedings till February 27, a councillor, Ashok Manu, collapsed. He was rushed to a nearby hospital.

AAP MLA Atishi alleged that BJP members got agitated and attacked the Delhi mayor when they sensed their party would lose the election. The mayor had to run out of the House, she said.

"Today is a black day. Mockery of Constitution was done and today, the House saw a black day. We called the BJP councillors and asked them about their demands and we got re-election done but still they attacked me," Oberoi told reporters.

All ballot papers have been torn and re-election of members of the standing committee -- the apex decision-making body of the MCD -- will be held again on February 27, the mayor said.

Both the BJP and the AAP blamed each other for the incident that forced the mayor to adjourn the House.

In a video, councillors from both parties were seen hurling water bottles and apples at each other inside the House, while in another, women councillors were seen hitting each other. Some BJP members also flashed posters with slogans such as 'Tanashahi nahin chalegi' and a few councillors were seen with kurtas torn.

Pankaj Luthra, a BJP councillor, alleged that it was the AAP's fault that led to the chaos in the House.   

The election process for the six members of the standing committee began at around 11 am and concluded at 2.30 pm. The counting began 10 minutes later and went on for over two hours.

Mayor Oberoi then told members that one vote is invalid and result will be declared without it, a move that was strongly opposed by BJP members.

The mayor's decision led to the House falling into chaos as councillors from the BJP and the AAP started shouting and pushing one another.

"When you lost the elections, you started attacking our mayor. The whole nation is watching this attitude and action of the BJP. They tore ballot papers and we did re-election but when they lost, they attacked," Atishi told PTI.

She alleged that men BJP councillors attacked Oberoi outside the House as well, adding that the party will take legal action against those involved.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "What we witnessed today is just not imaginable. As soon as the mayor started announcing the results, BJP councillors started attacking our mayor and the civil defence staff."

"She somehow escaped and one of the civil defence personnel showed her hand which had bite marks. The way they attacked our mayor, we will take legal action," he said.

Booth capturing cannot be imagined in Delhi, the AAP leader said.

BJP councillor Shika Rai alleged that Oberoi declared the vote invalid and AAP councillors started abusing BJP members. "I agree what happened is not acceptable but we did it in self-defence," Rai told PTI.

After the voting, the officers from the election commission made a sheet and gave it to the mayor but when the mayor saw that the seats have been won by the BJP, one of the poll agents of the AAP took out a vote and said it is invalid, she alleged.

This had happened when the election commission officer left the House, Rai alleged.

The standing committee has powers to grant financial approval to projects, set up sub committees on several issues and finalise policies.

A mayor's powers are only limited to call meetings of the MCD House and disqualify members if they do not furnish details of their assets.

The MCD House had also witnessed ruckus on Wednesday night with members of the BJP and the AAP exchanging blows and hurling plastic bottles at each other.

A few BJP members had claimed that some of their fellow party councillors got hit with flying objects, while Oberoi had alleged that some BJP councillors tried to attack her during the proceedings to hold the election to pick the six members of the standing committee.