BJP's Raja Iqbal Singh elected new Delhi mayor, Jai Bhagwan Yadav deputy mayor
New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI): BJP’s Raja Iqbal Singh was elected as Delhi’s new mayor on Friday, marking the saffron party’s return to power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) after two years.
Singh defeated Congress candidate Mandeep Singh by a margin of 125 votes to secure the top civic post, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) boycotted the mayoral election.
As the mayoral result was announced, the second round of polling for the deputy mayor’s post was expected to take place.
However, Congress candidate Ariba Khan (from Abul Fazal Enclave, Ward 188) withdrew her nomination, clearing the way for BJP’s Jai Bhagwan Yadav to be elected unopposed as Deputy Mayor.
As Singh took his seat, BJP councillors filled the air with chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai.”
Out of the total 142 votes cast for the mayor’s post, one vote was declared invalid. Iqbal secured 133 votes, while Congress candidate Mandeep Singh received eight.
The BJP lost two votes due to the absence of MP Manoj Tiwari. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had announced a boycott of the election on Monday.
The election was conducted during the general meeting of the MCD.
After being elected, Singh announced that the Standing Committee would be formed within a month and said, “Everyone will work together with commitment.”
“We will try to form the Standing Committee within a month and work in coordination with the Delhi government to ensure people face no problems. Our priorities include making parks greener, curbing corruption and pollution, and scrapping user charges immediately,” Iqbal Singh said.
He added that the party will “motivate” teachers, provide funds for students’ uniforms, and improve school infrastructure.
“The people of Delhi have shown faith in Prime Minister Modi and the BJP. We are committed to serving the city through the MCD and delivering on our promises. All eligible contractual workers under the BMP will be regularised as per rules,” he said.
He said that in the last two-and-a-half years, the development of the capital had slowed down.
“With the support of both the Delhi government and the central government, we will now accelerate the pace of development and complete pending work,” he said.
He also emphasised that "positive initiatives" will be undertaken to improve cleanliness, ensure quality education, and strengthen primary healthcare. Special focus will be given to resolving issues related to legacy waste at landfill sites and waterlogging.
Iqbal Singh was the Leader of the Opposition in the MCD and earlier served as the Mayor of North MCD.
He hails from a family with strong Akali Dal connections. His father-in-law was a councillor from the GTB Nagar constituency, and his brother-in-law was also active in Akali politics.
Iqbal Singh had also served as an Akali Dal councillor from GTB Nagar and headed the Civil Lines Zone of the corporation until September 2020.
Key political figures, including BJP MPs Harsh Malhotra, Praveen Khandelwal, Bansuri Swaraj, Kawaljeet Sehrawat, and Yogendra Chandolia, cast their votes in the mayoral election.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which held the mayor’s post for over two-and-a-half years, completely boycotted the polls.
The last mayoral election, held on November 14, 2024, saw AAP’s Mahesh Kumar Khinchi win by a razor-thin margin of just three votes.
Satya Sharma, a BJP councillor from Gautampuri, served as the presiding officer for the mayoral election for the fourth time. Sharma is a three-time councillor.
At the beginning of the proceedings, Sharma called for a two-minute silence in memory of the 26 people who died in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
Despite the BJP’s victory, the party refrained from celebrations and did not garland the newly elected mayor.
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Plea on stray dogs mentioned in SC, CJI says he 'will look into it'
New Delhi (PTI): "I will look into it," Chief Justice of India B R Gavai assured on Wednesday when a plea relating to stray dogs was mentioned for urgent hearing in the Supreme Court.
The plea by the Conference for Human Rights (India) was mentioned before a bench of the chief justice and Justice K Vinod Chandran by a lawyer.
Another bench has already passed an order in relation to stray dogs, the CJI pointed out.
On August 11, a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan observed that instances of dog bites had given rise to an "extremely grim" situation and ordered the permanent relocation of all strays in Delhi-NCR "at the earliest".
On Wednesday, the lawyer referred to a May 2024 order passed by a bench led by Justice J K Maheshwari relegating petitions relating to the stray dog issue to respective high courts.
The CJI then assured that he will look into it.
The plea by Conference for Human Rights (India) claims the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2001 mandating regular sterilisation and immunisation programmes for stray dogs to curtail their growing population are not being complied with.
In its August 11 ruling, the apex court also said dog shelters will have to be augmented over time and directed Delhi authorities to start with creating shelters of around 5,000 canines within six to eight weeks.
Besides, the bench warned of strict action against an individual or organisation in case of any kind of obstruction in the relocation drive that might also prompt the court to initiate contempt proceedings.
