Municipal Elections – AAP Suspends Three MCD Councillors After Cross-Voting Row
Municipal Elections – The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suspended three Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) councillors with immediate effect following allegations of cross-voting during the recent ward committee elections. The decision comes a day after the party claimed that some of its elected representatives voted against the official party line, influencing the outcome of key leadership positions.
Party Announces Immediate Disciplinary Action
Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj announced the suspensions through a post on X, stating that disciplinary measures had been taken against the councillors accused of violating party directives. The suspended members are Nirmala Devi (Sharma) from the West Zone, Krishna Devi Raghav from the West Zone, and Sultana Abad from the City SP Zone.
According to the party, the councillors allegedly supported candidates outside the party during the ward committee elections, an act it described as a serious breach of internal discipline.
Cross-Voting Allegations Spark Political Response
AAP leaders claimed that cross-voting had a direct impact on the election results, particularly in the West Zone, where the party alleged that the chairman’s post changed hands because some councillors did not vote according to the party’s decision.
Ankush Narang, Leader of the Opposition in the MCD, said that the chairman in the West Zone secured victory through cross-voting. He also confirmed that councillors accused of voting against the party in both the West Zone and the City SP Zone had been suspended with immediate effect.
Party Says Mandate Must Be Respected
The party maintained that it would continue taking strict action against anyone involved in activities considered detrimental to its interests. It stated that the electoral mandate belongs to the party rather than to individual representatives and stressed that any violation of party discipline would be dealt with firmly.
AAP further said that the suspensions send a clear message that actions viewed as betraying the trust of voters or the organisation would not be accepted under any circumstances.
Voting Pattern in City SP Zone
The developments gained further attention after the voting outcome in the City SP Zone. Before the election, AAP held seven councillors in the zone, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had four members and the Forward Bloc had one.
Despite AAP’s numerical advantage, BJP candidate Usha Sharma received seven votes and won the chairperson’s election. AAP’s candidate secured five votes. The party alleged that two of its councillors crossed party lines during the voting process, leading to the BJP’s victory in the contest.
The incident has intensified political debate within the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, with AAP reiterating that organisational discipline remains a priority and that similar action could be taken if further instances of anti-party activity are identified.