New playing ground for BMC polls

MUMBAI: The fate of most of the 227 municipal councillors in the city is likely to change on Monday. With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) set to conduct

MUMBAI: The fate of most of the 227 municipal councillors in the city is likely to change on Monday. With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) set to conduct the lottery for reservation of wards and also announce changes in the city’s ward boundaries on Monday, many corporators are uncertain about retaining hold over their constituencies.

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On Monday, the reservation for women, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) will be undertaken through a lottery for the city’s 227 electoral wards. The wards that were under the open category in the 2012 municipal elections will be reserved in the 2017 elections. While this is a routine procedure, what is going to drastically affect political parties and corporators are the changed ward boundaries according to the population growth rates and trends of the city as enumerated in the 2011 census.

HT had reported that 80% of the corporators will be impacted by the delimitation exercise, with their sitting constituencies being impacted in some way or the other in this redrawing of boundaries. While seven wards from the island city are going to be restructured in the suburbs, three suburban wards are also going to be restructured, resulting in a domino effect for most wards.

Rais Shaik, a corporator from the M/East ward, which includes Deonar, said, “It is really unfair that we might have to forego a ward where we have worked for five years. The reservation seems against the spirit of democracy. I am sure many corporators are having sleepless nights. Our plans, strategies, everything has to be put on the table again.”

Post Monday, the parties are expected to hold discussions and deliberations over candidates. The Samajwadi Party has formed a committee to study the delimitation exercise.

Congress corporator from Ghatkopar, Pravin Chheda, said the delimitation exercise is an added pressure for parties. “There is so much uncertainty among all councillors. People who have done good work may not reap the benefits as the boundaries and voter base itself has changed. Many may fight independently owing to this.”

While M/East is likely to see an increase of two electoral wards, Ghatkopar is likely to have one electoral ward less. A 3% dip in the population in the island city and an 8% increase in the suburbs has led to the redrawing of the electoral map. The reserved wards for SC are also likely to increase to 15 from 11 owing to an increase in the SC population, sources said.

The elections are scheduled to be held between February and March 2017. Manoj Kotak, BJP group leader in BMC and a Mulund corporator said, “Corporators with established constituencies are going to face a major fight. It is time for parties to reflect on their work in the past five years.”

Shiv Sena, which has been ruling the BMC for over 20 years, however, put up a brave face and said the exercise is not going to change anything for the party. Kishori Pednekar from the G/ South ward, said, “The Sena corporators’ work makes the party’s name stronger. We do not have to worry as we will win the seats despite the changes.”