Delhi’s newly elected Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Wednesday said the AAP-led municipal corporation will carry out an inspection of landfill sites in the next three days and also work to deliver the party’s 10 “guarantees” promised to people before the MCD polls.
Ms Oberoi defeated the BJP’s Rekha Gupta by 34 votes in what was the new municipal House’s fourth attempt to elect a mayor after its three previous meetings — January 6 and 24, and February 6 — were washed out amid acrimonious exchanges between the AAP and the BJP over voting rights to aldermen (nominated members).
Ms Oberoi, 39, tried to strike a conciliatory note after taking charge as mayor. “We have to work together to fulfil the aspirations of people.” “First of all, I am thankful to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia for giving me such a huge responsibility,” she told PTI in an interview after being elected.
“We will all work together to fulfil the 10 guarantees given by our party. The priority will be to improve schools, hospitals, parks. We will work for the beautification of Delhi and all the 250 councillors, not only from the AAP, will work towards it.” The mountain of garbage at the three landfill sites was a key election issue with the AAP promising to clear it in a time-bound manner.
“Our councillors were working already in their respective areas, even though officially our team will start working from tomorrow. In the next three to four days we will go to inspect all the landfill sites,” she said.
Earlier, she had told the media that an “inspection of landfill sites will be done in the next three months”.
In a statement later, she said, “Goons have lost and democracy has won.” Ms Oberoi becomes the first mayor of the Aam Aadmi Party as also of the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
A former assistant professor at Delhi University, she is more known for her academic laurels, but she tasted success in electoral debut in the December MCD polls from East Patel Nagar ward — considered the home turf of former Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta.
Talking about her political foray and subsequent win, she added, “My family is proud of it. I am from academics and all my professors are proud of me. But expectations are also very high. Everyone is happy and there is a lot of responsibility on me.” While talking to mediapersons, she thanked the people of Delhi and 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.” The issue of voting right to aldermen had reached the Supreme Court which said members nominated by the lieutenant government cannot vote in mayoral election. Mr Kejriwal congratulated the people of Delhi over Ms 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,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted.
Meanwhile, 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.
Mr Iqbal, soon after being elected, told reporters, “Eighty 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.
In the run-up to the MCD polls in December, Mr Kejriwal had announced 10 “guarantees” for the residents of the national capital. Under the first guarantee, Mr Kejriwal said Delhi’s garbage mountains would be cleared and the city beautified.
The second guarantee pertained to getting rid of corruption in the MCD, while the third, fourth and fifth guarantees include solving the parking crisis, ending the stray-animal menace and repairing roads under the MCD.
Under the sixth guarantee, the party has promised to beautify schools, dispensaries and hospitals of the MCD that are in disrepair while under the seventh guarantee, the party plans to transform Delhi into a city of parks.
The eighth guarantee is regularisation of contractual workers, while the ninth and tenth guarantees pertain to easing the woes of traders and hawkers.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)