L-G prevented govt from giving SC views on mayor poll: Kejriwal

Delhi CM accuses L-G VK Saxena of interference in administration, and acting against his constitutional post

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena on Saturday of trying to “forcibly” prevent the city government from presenting its views before the Supreme Court in the MCD mayoral poll case, a day after the top court said aldermen cannot vote in the election. He also recommended to Lt Governor V K Saxena that the mayoral election be held on February 22.

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Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal alleged that the LG tried to “interfere in the administration of justice” and committed “contempt of court”. No reaction was immediately available from the LG’s office to the claims and allegations made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.

Kejriwal said the petitioner in the case, the AAP’s mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi, had added the LG and the Delhi government as separate parties to her petition in the apex court. He said the AAP government and the LG had “contrary viewpoints on all the issues related to the case”.

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The AAP had vociferously opposed the nomination of 10 aldermen by the LG to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the decision of the civic body’s presiding officer to give them the right to vote to elect the mayor, the deputy mayor and the standing committee members.

“The Delhi government had asked the urban development secretary to hire Gautam Narayan in the case. But the LG, on February 9, directed the official to appoint Solicitor General Tushar Mehta as the government’s lawyer to defend the case,” Kejriwal said. The chief minister added that he has written to the LG, conveying it to him that his actions did not behove the constitutional post he held.

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