Will challenge Bill for merger of Delhi civic bodies in court if need be: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said they will study the Bill that has been introduced in Parliament to unify the three municipal corporations and if the need arises, they will challenge it in court.

He was speaking at a press conference after his deputy Manish Sisodia presented the Delhi Budget.

Currently, the three corporations in Delhi — North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) — have 272 wards. While the North and South corporations have 104 wards each, the East corporation has 64.

A bill to merge the three municipal corporations in the national capital into a single entity was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday amid Opposition claims that the move was beyond the legislative competence of Parliament.

It also proposes to reduce the number of wards from 272 to 250.

”The MCD Bill has been brought only to delay the elections. What is the logic of reducing the number of wards. We will study the Bill and will challenge it in the court if need be,” the chief minister said.