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Amid BJP-AAP Slugfest, Delhi Set to Get First Female Mayor After a Decade

© SAJJAD HUSSAINPeople walk along a road near India Gate amid smoggy conditions in New Delhi on October 25, 2022.
People walk along a road near India Gate amid smoggy conditions in New Delhi on October 25, 2022. - Sputnik India, 1920, 24.01.2023
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The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Shelly Oberoi, and rival BJP's Rekha Gupta are in the fray for the coveted post.
India's capital is set to see the appointment of a female mayor on Tuesday, with both AAP and BJP pitching their respective candidates for the top civic authority post, following last month's municipal polls.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has come to power in the civic body after humbling the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The mayor of Delhi held considerable influence in the city till 2012, but lost weight following the trifurcation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) into the East, North, and South municipal corporations, with all of them having their own mayors.

However, with the central government passing a law to reunite the three erstwhile corporations, the MCD has returned to its original position. With the unification of the MCD, it is expected that the prestige of the Delhi Mayor will also return to its former days.
Historically saying, Indian freedom fighter Aruna Asaf Ali was the first woman to occupy the MCD's top post after the formation of the MCD in 1958.
BJP's Rajni Abbi, a legal scholar, was the latest woman to become MCD mayor in 2011, before the civic body was trifurcated.

What is the Unique Formula for the Delhi Mayor's Post?

The post of Delhi's mayor follows a unique formula with each year of the five-year tenure reserved for a particular category.
While a woman must head the MCD during the first year, the second year is open for all, the third year is reserved for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes (people belonging to the lower strata of the Indian society) and the final two years again seeing a mayor from any gender or social segment.
This is why both AAP and BJP have announced the names of women for the post.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, Arvind Kejriwal receives a floral garland thrown at him by supporters during a road show ahead of the upcoming Punjab state assembly election in Amritsar, India, Sunday, Feb.13, 2022. - Sputnik India, 1920, 12.01.2023
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AAP vs. BJP: Female Mayoral Candidates Enter the Fray

Speaking about AAP's Shelly Oberoi, she is a former professor of the University of Delhi. She won her first election in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls from the East Patel Nagar ward in December 2022.
"My priority is cleaning up Delhi, making it shine. We will make Delhi a smart city," Oberoi told reporters after her victory last month.
On the other hand, the BJP's Rekha Gupta is the general secretary of the Delhi unit of the federally ruling party. She is also the national vice president of the BJP's women's wing, known as the Mahila Morcha.
The appointment of Delhi's mayor has become a battle of prestige for both the BJP and the city's ruling AAP after the latter ended the former's 15-year reign in the civic body last month.
A few weeks ago, the newly elected municipal councilors belonging to AAP and BJP nearly came to blows during their first meeting at the MCD headquarters in central Delhi. While the AAP blamed the BJP for the fracas, the federally ruling party pinned the blame on the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit.
With 134 councilors, the AAP is the largest party in the MCD, followed by the BJP with 104 seats.
In the mayoral elections, a councilor can vote for anyone as the parties cannot issue whips to their candidates. That's why AAP is concerned that BJP could influence the results of the polls in its favor.
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