BMC begins prep for February 2022 polls

The term of BMC’s current elected representatives ends on March 7, 2022, and the polls are expected to take place in February 2022

To prepare for the upcoming civic polls in February 2022, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started the process of verification for delimitation (redrawing) of boundaries of the 24 administrative wards. Post this, the BMC will submit the list to the state election commission for suggestions and objections. The BMC is also expected to increase the number of booths in view of Covid-19 to ensure social distancing while conducting voting.

To prepare for the upcoming polls in February 2022, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started the prep of verification for delimitation (redrawing) of boundaries of the 24 administrative wards. Post this, the BMC will submit the list to the state election commission for suggestions and objections. (HT PHOTO)

The BMC currently has 227 corporators who are elected representatives across 24 administrative wards formed on the basis of the census conducted in 2011. The census for 2021 was delayed amid the pandemic. Delimitation is undertaken to ensure that all electoral wards largely have the same amount of population. The state election commission had last month given permission to several municipal corporations including Mumbai civic body to go ahead with the delimitation process.

Vishwas Mote, from the BMC’s election department, said, “Preliminary preparations are going as per the directions of the state election commission.”

According to BMC officials, post verification, the data will be sent to the state election commission which will later call for public suggestions and objections. The process is being done considering the pattern of migration of citizens, development, redevelopment in wards of the city, and the data is expected to be ready by mid- October.

After the suggestions and objections, the BMC will also conduct a lottery for reservation of the administrative wards to determine the reservation of the ward. For example, R North ward in north Mumbai was reserved for women. Of the total 227, a total of 50% of the seats are reserved for women candidates. From the 50%, there is a parallel reservation in the scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and OBC category. A BMC official said, “From 7,000 polling booths, we plan to increase them to 10,000.”

Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner of the BMC, said, “As per the instructions of the state election commission, we have started initial preparation to understand whether delimitation will be required or not. However, this time we will have to increase the number of polling booths keeping Covid-19 into consideration.”

The term of the current elected representatives ends on March 7, 2022, and the elections are expected to take place in February 2022. The Shiv Sena has 97 seats, BJP 83, Congress 29, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 8, Samajwadi Party (SP) 6, AIMIM 2 and MNS 1.