Ward formation deadline postponed by a month

The order specifying the change in deadline and revised timetable was issued by the urban development department

Mumbai: The state government on Monday postponed the deadline for formation of wards under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic bodies in Maharashtra by a month, from September 4 to October 6. The revised deadline indicates that polls to the BMC and other civic bodies would be held after Diwali, which will be celebrated from October 18 till October 23, said officials.

Only one representative from each ward would be elected to the 227-member BMC while all other municipal corporations in the state would have four elected members per ward (Hindustan Times)

The order specifying the change in deadline and revised timetable was issued by the urban development department.

According to the order, commissioners of civic bodies including the BMC and other municipal corporations under classes A, B and C – which include civic bodies in the MMR and metro cities like Pune, Nashik and Nagpur – would have to submit draft ward formation details to the urban development department from September 9-15, and issue the notification demarcating wards between October 3-6, following a nod from the state election commission. Municipal corporations under class D would have to issue the final ward notification between October 9-13, whereas municipal councils would have to do so between September 26-30.

The state election commission said it had no role in preparing the revised timetable.

All municipal corporations in the state have been functioning without elected bodies since January 1, 2024 or earlier, after the term of former corporators expired. Elections to local bodies were delayed, first due to the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by a dispute over ward formation between the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the Mahayuti.

Earlier, on June 10, the state government had ordered the BMC to prepare the draft ward formation list and said that only one representative from each ward would be elected to the 227-seat civic body. All other municipal corporations in the state would have four elected members per ward, the government had clarified, bringing back the policy of multiple representatives per ward after a hiatus of a few years. The population as per the 2011 census would be considered for ward formation, the government had said.