Delhi mayoral polls: Kejriwal welcomes SC verdict

New Delhi: After the Supreme Court ruled that nominated members of Delhi's civic body cannot vote in polls to elect a mayor, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the judgement, NDTV reported.

He said that the verdict proved that Governor Saxena's orders, which the SC quashed, were illegal and unconstitutional. He accused Lt Governor VK Saxena of partnering with BJP in passing the said orders.

Kejriwal tweeted that the SC order was a victory for democracy, and he thanked the court. He said that Delhi would get a new mayor in two and a half months.

Supreme Court ditched the Lt Governor's orders, which were in favour of the BJP, on Friday. The court observed that members of Delhi's civic body appointed by Mr Saxena, a BJP-led Centre's representative, cannot vote in the mayor elections. It also said that a deputy mayor could only be elected after choosing the mayor.

After Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that BJP attempted to take control of the civic body by electing a BJP leader as Delhi's mayor. The election to the post was postponed thrice in the past two months.

In December, AAP won a considerable margin of seats in the elections in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. This has ended BJP's 15-year rule of the national capital's civic body.

In the last election, the council members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor attempted to cast a vote, and this caused protests and chaos om the house by AAP members.