DU assistant prof to Delhi mayor

New Delhi: Delhi University assistant professor Shelly Oberoi, who on Wednesday became the first mayor of the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi, is more known for her academic laurels.

But in her electoral debut in the December MCD polls, 39-year-old Oberoi had registered victory from East Patel Nagar ward - considered to be the home turf of former Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta. And now, Delhi got its first woman mayor in little over a decade when Oberoi defeated BJP's Rekha Gupta by 34 votes in the much-anticipated election.

Rajni Abbi was the last woman to be elected to the top post in the MCD in 2011 before its trifurcation. Wednesday's voting was held at the Civic Centre. After her win, Oberoi acknowledged people's greetings with folded hands. Party councillors offered sweets and garlands to the newly-elected mayor on stage. Women councillors were seen jostling on the dais to take a selfie with her, as other members flash victory signs.

"I thank Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and the people of Delhi. In the next three months, we will visit landfill sites here. All councillors will work from today.

The 10- guarantee programme will be our focus," Oberoi said.

This was the fourth attempt to elect a mayor since the earlier elections were stalled amid a ruckus over voting rights being given to nominated members. Oberoi pursued her Doctorate in Philosophy from the School of Management Studies (SOMS), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and is also the recipient of best paper awards in different national and international conferences, besides winning a gold medal (Prof Manubhai Shah Award) at an Indian Commerce Association (ICA) conference. She is also a lifetime member of the ICA. She has also been felicitated with the "Miss Kamla Rani Prize".