Cong for ‘corrective’ steps in reservation of seats

Not satisfied with the way wards have been reserved for women and SC/ST candidates in the upcoming municipal polls, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) has asked the election commission to review the formula. Atul Mathur reports.

Not satisfied with the way wards have been reserved for women and SC/ST candidates in the upcoming municipal polls, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) has asked the election commission to review the formula.

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In a letter to state election commissioner Rakesh Mehta, DPCC spokesperson Jitender Kumar Kochar demanded “corrective steps” in the reservation of seats. Fifty per cent of the 272 wards will be reserved for women, while 15% will be for SC/ST candidates.

The EC had recently notified the list of general and reserved wards, which the Congress said is full of flaws. “The Congress believes in giving equal representation to women, but the list has major flaws that need to be corrected. In 26 Assembly segments, three seats of four wards have been reserved for women, while in 22 segments one ward is for woman. Ideally, there should have been two wards each for women and men in each Assembly segment,” he said.

Though there have been discontentment among councillors on the reservation of seats, this is first time a party has openly expressed its displeasure.

“The election commissioner had called for an all-party meet before notifying the wards, but our suggestions were neither listened to nor were given cognisance. He, later, took a unilateral decision and notified the reservation of wards. We have again sent a copy of our formula for the composition of the corporation wards with a request for serious consideration so that the anomalies could be ironed out," Kochar said.