However, shortly after this announcement, the commission received an unofficial communication from the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, indicating that the Union Government intended to merge the three municipal bodies.

This raises critical concerns about the transparency and timing of the communication, as it suggests potential political interference or a lack of coordination between the Union Government and the State Election Commission, undermining the autonomy of the electoral process.

[7] No formal communication was issued regarding the merger plans, nor was any such agenda disclosed during the ongoing budget session of the Parliament of India.

[7] Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP, the ruling party of India, of using the unification of municipal bodies as a pretext to delay the elections.

"[8] The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 proposed reducing the number of councillor seats from the existing 272 to a maximum of 250.

The committee, led by State Election Commissioner Vijay Dev, was tasked with determining ward boundaries based on specific guidelines.

While the principle of maintaining an average population per ward was emphasised, deviations of up to plus or minus 10% were deemed acceptable by the Union Government.

To ensure accuracy, the delimitation commission utilised digitised maps provided by Geospatial Delhi Limited (GSDL).

The commission, established as an independent constitutional authority, is meant to be insulated from political whims and caprices to ensure the conduct of free, fair, and timely elections.

The plea accused the Union Government of undermining the commission's independence, asserting that its intervention was the sole reason for the election delay.

[3] In March 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) requested that the authorities conducting the elections use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) compatible with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems.

[11] A petition was filed in the Delhi High Court by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, seeking a directive for the State Election Commission of Delhi to conduct the MCD elections using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) equipped with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems.

[13] AAP argued in court that the EVMs procured by the State Election Commission (SEC) were not compatible with VVPAT and requested the disclosure of the total number of VVPAT-compatible machines available in India.