Liquor shops in 12 wards of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will remain closed between November 28 and December 3 because of the upcoming MCD bypolls in Delhi.
Dry Day in Delhi for 3 Days: Liquor shops in several parts of Delhi will remain closed for six days due to the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bypolls. The outlets across MCD’s 12 wards will be shut between November 28 and December 3. The Delhi Government announced the dry days as per the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010. As per the orders, all licensed liquor outlets selling IMFL and country liquor in the 12 wards must follow the guidelines. Enforcement teams are also instructed to conduct checks to ensure adherence. The Delhi excise department said: “In pursuance of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010, dry days will be observed in the 12 wards where bypolls are to be held.”
Delhi MCD Bypolls
It is to be noted that the bypolls will be conducted after nine councillors of the BJP and three councillors of AAP designated to MPs or MLAs. This development, which happened early this year, has created as many as 12 vacancies. The State Election Commission has decided to conduct polling for the 12 vacant for November 30. The results will be announced on December 3.
Dry Day: Liquor Shops Will Be Closed In These Areas
As mentioned above, liquor shops will be closed in 12 MCD wards, namely – Mundka, Shalimar Bagh-B, Ashok Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Chandni Mahal, Dwarka-B, Dichaon Kalan, Naraina, Sangam Vihar-A, Dakshin Puri, Greater Kailash, and Vinod Nagar.
Dry Day Schedule
As per the announcement, the first phase of the liquor shop shutdown will start at around 5.30 pm on November 28, ahead of the polling on Sunday, November 30. Shops will be open at 5.30 pm on Monday, November 30. The liquor shops will be shut again on December 3, on the counting day.
- November 28: From 5:30 pm onwards
- November 30: Until 5:30 pm (after polling ends)
- December 3: Entire day (counting)
It is worth noting that dry days are part of a standard election protocol in order to maintain law and order in the area or city. It is a measure to ensure a fair voting environment.
However, residents living outside these 12 wards in the rest of Delhi will not be impacted by the restrictions.
