AAP proposes budget changes in Delhi's MCD

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has proposed a series of changes to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) budget, just before its finalization for the 2025-26 fiscal year. They introduced eight cut motions aimed at increasing the funds available to the leader of the Opposition while reducing the mayor’s discretionary fund significantly. One of the main proposals seeks to raise the leader of the Opposition's allowance from ₹4 lakh to ₹7 lakh. In contrast, AAP wants to cut the mayor’s fund by ₹500 crore, bringing it back to the previous amount of ₹10 crore. The AAP plans to use these savings to regularize jobs for contractual workers. The MCD is preparing for elections next month. Recently, AAP lost its majority due to several defections to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which now holds 116 seats compared to AAP's 114. Raja Iqbal Singh, the leader of the Opposition from the BJP, criticized AAP's proposals, claiming they are self-serving and a reversal of their previous budget allocations. Aside from the request for increased funds for the leader of the Opposition, AAP also wants to enhance the leader of the house budget by ₹1 lakh. On February 13, MCD commissioner Ashwini Kumar proposed a budget of ₹17,002.6 crore for the coming year. Voting on the budget is expected to happen soon. In addition to these motions, AAP is also looking to add ₹800 crore to a fund aimed at regularizing the jobs of contract workers. They have suggested reallocating funds from road maintenance and the discretionary fund for this purpose. Furthermore, AAP has proposed tax relief measures for property owners, aiming for significant property tax rebates.