The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suspended three of its Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Councilors due to purported anti-party activities and questionable conduct during recent zonal ward committee elections. The suspended councilors, all women, are Nirmala Devi (Sharma), Krishna Devi Raghav, and Mrs. Sultana Abad. The decision was communicated through an official order signed by Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj.
The reasons behind the suspension have not been disclosed by the AAP leadership. However, observers attribute the move to the councilors’ alleged cross-voting for the ruling party in the recent MCD ward committee polls. This action follows another setback for AAP, with one of its Civil Lines councilors, Vikas Taank, defecting to the BJP, thereby bolstering the latter’s position in the MCD.
The suspension of these three AAP councilors closely follows elections for various key positions within the MCD, including the Standing Committee, Chairpersons, deputy chairpersons of the 12 ward committees, and vacant seats on the 18-member standing committee. The recent election results favored the BJP, with the party securing significant wins in both ward committees and the standing committee, while AAP managed to secure limited victories.
The Standing Committee, consisting of 18 members, serves as the MCD’s principal decision-making body, responsible for approving financial matters, contracts, policy decisions, and civic projects exceeding Rs 5 crores. Currently, the BJP dominates the Standing Committee with a majority of 12 members compared to AAP’s 6 members.
