Delhi LG gives nod to convene MCD House, hold mayoral poll on February 22

The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, has given the green light to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's proposal to conduct the Delhi mayoral elections on February 22.

New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena has given his nod to convene the municipal House on February 22 to hold the election for the post of mayor, Raj Niwas officials said on Saturday. The LG's nod came hours after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recommended to him that the mayoral election be held on the said date.

The development comes a day after the Supreme Court ordered the issuance of a notice within 24 hours for convening the first meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to fix the date of elections for the mayor, the deputy mayor and the members of the Standing Committee.

In a shot in the arm for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the apex court also held on Friday that the members nominated by the LG to the MCD cannot vote to elect the mayor. "Recommended MCD mayor elections to be held on 22 Feb," Kejriwal said in a tweet earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, Manish Sisodia, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, shared on Twitter that he has been asked to appear at the CBI headquarters tomorrow. Sisodia confirmed that he will fully cooperate with the investigation. Along with 14 others, he has been accused in the Delhi Excise Policy scam, which allowed blacklisted entities to sell liquor in the city, among other irregularities.

In a separate development, the Delhi Police have arrested five individuals, including Sahil Gehlot's father, in connection with the murder of Nikki Yadav. It has been discovered that the accused and the victim were married three years ago in a temple.