E-Paper
Delimitation may change BJP’s calculation for urban local bodies in Uttarakhand
The local body election won’t be a cakewalk for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as delimitation may change the calculations of the party that hopes to repeat the assembly poll result
The local body election won’t be a cakewalk for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as delimitation may change the calculations of the party that hopes to repeat the assembly poll result.
Of the 92 urban local bodies in Uttarakhand, Dehradun is the largest of the eight municipal corporations. The Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) has 60 wards and 40 more wards will be added after delimitation. This will add up roughly 2.5 lakh more people to the municipal corporation which has a population of 5 lakh.
Seventy-two villages are to be included in the DMC. But the urban development department has not issued the notification owing to protests from several quarters.
Sources in the BJP claim while there’s unrest among locals, which has also been voiced by the Congress, the party leaders are also worried. “The delimitation has increased areas of municipal corporations, especially that of Dehradun. But, there’s a worry among senior leaders who fear that the decision may boomerang,” a BJP leader said.
The Congress alleges that the BJP government has done delimitation to convert agricultural land, which is fast depleting at the cost of urbanisation. Delimitation is one of the main election agendas for the opposition party.
“The exercise has brought families in the ambit of municipal tax through which the government aims at increasing its income. But, the people of Uttarakhand have realised that the government they have chosen is working against them and not for them,” Dinesh Aggarwal, former Congress legislator Dharampur, says.
Those in the run for BJP tickets are apprehensive. “A village panchayat election is different from a corporation election. Those who will be contesting from the areas where the villages are included will face a tough challenge to woo voters,” a BJP councillor says.
Senior party leaders however, put up a brave face. “Delimitation will ensure development at a fast pace. The government is dedicated towards the progress of people and we know they will support us,” BJP state president Ajay Bhatt asserts.
