Gurgaon: MCG has set the stage for an election that has been delayed for nearly 18 months.On Wednesday, the civic body — finally — fixed Sept 14 for elections to the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.The elections have been caught in a prolonged political impasse despite BJP enjoying a clear majority in the 36-member House.These polls had become the subject of contempt proceedings in Punjab and Haryana high court. The HC had issued a notice to MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya and the corporation on Aug 6.“We have again scheduled the polls of the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor,” Dahiya said on Wednesday.Dahiya — through a notice issued by MCG — has convened a meeting of the corporation at 11am on Sept 14 at Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA). The meeting will be presided over by mayor Raj Rani Malhotra and the two posts will be filled from among the elected members of the House.The announcement comes a month after the HC notice to MCG commissioner on a contempt petition alleging that the civic body had failed to comply with its March 5 undertaking before the court to hold the elections within eight weeks. The court had fixed Sept 15 for the next hearing.The stakes go beyond the two titles. The senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor are members of the corporation’s Finance and Contracts Committee too, a key panel involved in approvals relating to municipal development works. The absence of the two office-bearers had therefore also raised questions about the full constitution and functioning of the committee.BJP won 24 wards in the March 2025 civic polls — its first majority in MCG — while Independents won 10 seats and Congress and JJP won one each. Several Independents later joined BJP, further strengthening its numbers.But the numerical advantage did not translate into an early agreement on the two posts.TOI had reported that BJP was unable to reach a consensus on its candidates, with rival camps — linked to city MP and Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh and Badshapur MLA Rao Narbir Singh — pushing different names.Seven Independent councillors joined BJP in Sept 2025, taking the party’s strength to 31. Earlier this year, another independent councillor joined BJP, taking the latter’s tally to 32 in the House.The first major attempt to break the deadlock also ended without an election.On April 30, MCG convened a special House meeting following HC’s intervention, but the proceedings were deferred after mayor Raj Rani Malhotra did not attend, citing medical reasons. As many as 32 of the 36 councillors were present.The episode triggered political scrutiny after the mayor was seen participating in an MCG cleanliness campaign the following day, although the civic body maintained that she had stayed away from the election meeting on medical grounds.The delay eventually moved from being an internal BJP problem to a judicial issue. In March, MCG had assured the HC that the elections would be completed within eight weeks.When that deadline expired without an election, advocate and city resident Rohit Madan moved a contempt petition, arguing that the court’s direction had not been complied with.The Sept 14 meeting will thus be watched not only for the outcome of the elections but also for whether BJP can finally present a united front in its first MCG House in which it has a majority.Previous attempts showed that having the numbers was not enough to ensure an uncontested choice, with factional considerations playing a significant role in the selection of candidates.The timing also puts the civic body under particular judicial scrutiny: the election has been scheduled just a day before HC’s Sept 15 hearing on the contempt matter.If the polls are completed as notified, MCG will be able to place the outcome before the court.Any postponement could invite fresh questions over compliance with the court’s earlier direction.
