Who is Shelly Oberoi, the new mayor of Delhi? What does her win mean for the AAP?

Finally, India’s Delhi has a new mayor. After three failed attempts in the past to hold voting, Aam Aadmi Party’s Shelly Oberoi was elected to the post. She defeated Rekha Gupta of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by 34 votes in a bitter contest.

Oberoi received 150 votes against 116 for Gupta in an election which was held at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House meeting. AAP’s Aaley Mohammad Iqbal will be Oberoi’s deputy.

Who is Shelly Oberoi?

Oberoi, 39, is a first-time councillor, who won the Delhi civic body election from East Patel Nagar, the home turf of former Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta, in December last year. She defeated Deepali Kumar by 269 votes in the ward which was considered to be a stronghold of the BJP. Her victory resonated with the AAP who won the municipal elections on 8 December, ending the saffron party’s 15-year-old dominance.

In January, Oberoi went to the Supreme Court to demand that elections to the civic body’s top post be held “in a time-bound manner”.

A Dilliwali (born and raised in the Capital), Oberoi joined the AAP as an activist in 2013. In 2020, she was picked as the vice president of its Mahila Morcha, the party’s women’s wing.

Before taking a plunge into politics, Oberoi worked as a visiting assistant professor at Delhi University. She has also taught at several other universities including Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) in Mumbai, Indraprastha University and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

Oberoi pursued her PhD from IGNOU’s School of Management Studies. She is a lifetime member of the Indian Commerce Association, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She has won several academic laurels including holding the highest grade point average among students in college. She was awarded the “Miss Kamla Rani Prize” and a scholarship. She earned her master’s degree in commerce at Himachal Pradesh University.

She has been quite the achiever and has big plans for Delhi.

What will she do as the Delhi mayor?

“We will start working on ‘Kejriwal ki 10 guarantees’ from day 1 to clean and make the city garbage free. I thank the CM and deputy CM and the people of Delhi for giving me this opportunity. I will need the blessings of the people of Delhi to fulfil duties and responsibilities,” she said while talking to the media before her election.

In an earlier interview with The Indian Express, Oberoi said that she would strive to get Delhi off its “garbage capital” tag. “Over the next few months, we will all work together to make Delhi the city that it should have been… We will work together to ensure Delhi becomes clean again.”

Minutes after taking charge, Oberoi said that the MCD will inspect landfill sites in the next three months. “We have to work together to fulfil the aspirations of people,” she told the House.

मैं धन्यवाद करना चाहती हूं CM @ArvindKejriwal जी का, Dy. CM @msisodia जी का, Delhi की जनता का, सभी पार्षदों का

आज शांतिपूर्ण चुनाव हुआ और मुझे महापौर बनकर दिल्ली की सेवा करने का मौका मिला

Supreme Court और Chief Justice of India का भी हृदय से धन्यवाद।

—@OberoiShelly #AAPKaMayor pic.twitter.com/TwjitaidGR

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 22, 2023

What does Oberoi’s win mean for AAP?

Oberoi’s electoral win is significant for the AAP but its fight is far from over. The mayor is the head of the civic body but it is the Standing Committee that has the power to approve finances for projects, finalise policies and form regulations, according to a report in The Indian Express.

Six members of the 18-member Standing Committee will be elected on Wednesday and the remaining 12 will be picked by the Ward Committees later.

The mayor can call for special meetings of the House, declare quorum to hold meetings and disqualify members, the report says.

How has AAP reacted to her win?

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia congratulated Oberoi and the party workers.

“The goons have lost, the public won. Today in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the people of Delhi won and hooliganism was defeated,” Kejriwal said.

Also read: Delhi backs ‘MCD Mein Bhi Kejriwal’, but lessons for AAP to remain unbeatable

Sisodia congratulated Oberoi for winning the mayoral elections. “Many congratulations to all the workers on Aam Aadmi Party’s mayor in Municipal Corporation of Delhi and once again wholehearted gratitude to the people of Delhi,” he said in a tweet in Hindi. “Many many congratulations to the first Mayor @OberoiShelly of AAP.”

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann has dubbed AAP’s win in the Delhi mayoral poll as the “victory of democracy.” He also praised Kejriwal for his “spirit of fighting for the rights of people.”

With inputs from agencies

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