Congress to boycott MCD mayor, deputy mayor elections, demands full tenure for Dalit mayor

The party, which currently holds eight councillor seats following the defection of Shagufta Chaudhary to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), will attend the MCD House but will refrain from participating in the voting process, a Congress councillor said.

New Delhi: The Congress has decided to boycott the elections for the mayor and deputy mayor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), citing dissatisfaction over the limited tenure planned for the next Dalit mayor.

The party, which currently holds eight councillor seats following the defection of Shagufta Chaudhary to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), will attend the MCD House but will refrain from participating in the voting process, a Congress councillor told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The party is calling for a full term for the Dalit mayor rather than the truncated four-month period now on offer.

"We will attend the House but will abstain from voting. We want the Dalit mayor to get a full tenure, instead of just four months," the councillor said.

Delhi's next Dalit mayor and deputy mayor will get to serve a truncated period of four months due to infighting between the AAP and the BJP which led to delay in holding the elections originally scheduled for April.

The elections for mayor and deputy mayor for the third term, reserved for a Dalit candidate, will be held in the MCD House at 2 pm.