Newly elected Mayor of Delhi, Shelly Oberoi, on Wednesday vowed that the AAP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will carry out an inspection of landfill sites in the next three months.
The AAP candidate defeated BJP’s Rekha Gupta by 34 votes in the much-anticipated election nearly two-and-a-half months after the civic body polls and three previous failed attempts to hold the election to the top post. The mayoral poll was favouring the AAP which had 150 votes against the BJP’s 113 out of the total of 274 votes.
The 39-year-old Oberoi had her electoral debut in the December MCD polls and registered victory from East Patel Nagar ward – considered to be the home turf of former Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta. She is the first mayor of the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Referred to as “well-read” with a PhD in commerce, Oberoi has been associated with the party for eight to nine years as a grassroots worker, party spokesperson and MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said.
After taking charge, Oberoi, an assistant professor at Delhi University, told the House, “We have to work together to fulfil the aspirations of people”.
Later, addressing the media in her office, she fielded a few questions before moving back to the House to chair the conduct of the election for the deputy mayor of Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party’s Aaley Mohammad Iqbal defeated the BJP’s Kamal Bagri by a margin of 31 votes to become the deputy mayor of Delhi.
“The 10 guarantees that CM Arvind Kejriwal has given to people, and the dreams that he has foreseen for Delhi, we will work on them,” the AAP leader said, when asked what will be her priorities as a mayor.
The mayor thanked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and the people of Delhi. She also thanked Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena.
“My thanks are due also to the Supreme Court, because of whose order the mayor election was held today peacefully,” Oberoi said.
“I will give the best in my term, under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal. Work will officially begin in Delhi from tomorrow onwards, and inspection of landfill sites wil be done in the next three months months,” she said.
Kejriwal congratulated the people of Delhi over Oberoi’s win and hit out at the BJP, saying the public won and the “goons” were defeated.
“The goons lost, the public won. In the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the people of Delhi won and hooliganism was defeated. Congratulations to the people of Delhi on Shelly Oberoi being elected mayor,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi without naming anyone.
The previous meetings held on January 6 and 24, and February 6 were adjourned without electing the mayor and deputy mayor.
The election of mayor took place in the backdrop of a recent Supreme Court order ruling against voting rights of 10 aldermen appointed by the Lt Governor.
Oberoi, in another interaction with mediapersons later, said, “‘Gundagardi’ (hooliganism) has lost, and truth has won today. People of Delhi have won. It is a victory of democracy and of the Constitution”.
Deputy Mayor Iqbal, soon after being elected, told reporters “80 days have been lost so far” as the election couldn’t be held earlier.
“In the coming days, we will strive to cover up for the loss of these 80 days. And, then we will work round-the-clock to make Delhi a better place, and help realise the dreams that Arvind Kejriwal has dreamt for the city,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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