New Delhi, March 3 : Dates for the elections to the m cipal corporations in Delhi will be announced in the next few days, the poll panel said here on Wednesday, deferring the announcement that was earlier scheduled to be made today. “I have received some comm cation from the Central government at 4:30 pm, so I am not able to announce the dates right now,” State Election Commissioner (SEC) of Delhi, S K Srivastava said at a press conference here. The dates were to be announced at 5 pm on Wednesday. “We were about to announce the dates, but now it will take another 5-7 days to announce them,” he said. Srivastava said the government might be planning “re-organisation of MCD”. “Maybe, they could re- fy the three corporations, so we have to think over it, and then announce MCD poll dates. We will examine their advice,” he added. He further said that the elections were not being postponed. “We are not postponing the elections. If the integration of m cipal corporations takes place before May 18, we will have to examine the situation. So, we need time now to get a legal opinion on this,” he said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the on government, and questioned if the EC could be instructed to not hold polls. “Can the Central government ‘direct’ EC to delay/cancel any elections? Under which provision? Are these ‘directions’ binding on EC? Why is EC buckling under pressure? Is Modi ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) not even going to allow elections in this country anymore?,” Kejriwal said. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the BJP is scared of losing the MCD polls. “Fearing defeat in MCD, BJP got elections postponed through the Election Commission. People are unhappy with 15 years of corruption in MCD and fearing this, BJP is running away from elections. The people of Delhi have now made up their mind for Kejriwal in MCD as well,” Sisodia said. “Why is the EC scared of BJP and Central government? EC has powers that they don’t have to bow to any party, but the way EC has surrendered to BJP… Some day, if BJP fears loss in Assembly polls, it will not be held… some day even general elections will not be held, if BJP is fearing defeat?,” he said. There are 104 wards each in the North and the South Delhi M cipal Corporations. The East Delhi M cipal Corporation has 64 wards. The three m cipal corporations of Delhi are currently ruled by BJP, which had been in control of MCD since its trifurcation in 2012. AO RJ
