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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pune, PCMC to retain four-member ward system as state kicks off process for civic polls
The state government has initiated the process for holding elections to municipal corporations, municipal councils, and zilla parishads across Maharashtra with the Urban Development Department on Tuesday directed all municipal corporations to begin the ward delimitation exercise, a crucial step ahead of the polls. Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations are expected to continue with the four-member ward system, though ward boundaries are likely to change due to the merger of 34 villages into the Pune civic limits over the past six years. In the 2017 civic polls, both cities followed the four-member ward format. In 2021, however, the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government attempted to introduce a three-member system through a fresh delimitation exercise. That move was reversed after the Mahayuti coalition came to power, restoring the four-member panel structure. According to the latest orders from the Urban Development Department, municipal corporations in categories A, B, and C will adopt the four-member system, with a few exceptions where wards may have either three or five members, depending on the total number of corporators. Pune and Nagpur fall under Category A. The notification, signed by principal secretary KH Govindraj, states: 'This order shall be referred to as the 'Order for Delimitation of Wards in A, B, and C Municipal Corporations for General Elections as per Four-Member Ward System, 2025'.' Citing Maharashtra Ordinance No. 21 dated March 11, 2022, and Section 5 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, 1949, the notification clarified that the government will conduct the delimitation with the approval of the State Election Commission (SEC). The responsibility for preparing the draft ward structures and finalising member counts lies with the respective municipal commissioners, who will also serve as election officers. The commissioners must now draw up the draft panel structure, align it with the voter list, and submit it to the SEC. Once approved, the draft will be published, and public suggestions and objections will be invited. After addressing these, the final ward boundaries and the revised voter list will be prepared and published. This process is expected to take six to eight weeks, following which election dates will be formally announced. Sources suggest elections may be scheduled around Diwali.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
State govt issues directives to start delimitation process for civic polls with four-member wards
Pune: The state govt on Tuesday issued directives to all municipal corporations, including Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), to start the process of delimitation (formation of wards) for the upcoming civic elections. The polls will be held as per a four-member ward system. The directives issued by K H Govindraj, principal secretary of urban development department, said, "While determining the number of wards, each ward should ideally have four members. If a ward cannot have four members, it may have either three or five members, or two wards may have three members each." The process for municipal elections will involve three main stages__formation of wards, determining reservations, and dividing the assembly voters' list by wards, as well as conducting the actual election. "The civic administration is in the process of finalising the exact number of wards and members. The details will be officially declared in the next few days," an official from PMC's election department said. Both PMC and PCMC used a four-member ward system in previous polls (2017). The BJP recorded a clear majority in both municipal bodies. The Supreme Court last month directed the state election commission to notify elections for local bodies within four weeks while disapproving of bureaucrats manning panchayats and municipal corporations because elections were not held. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo A bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed the EC to follow OBC reservation specifications as existed before the Banthia Commission's report of July 2022. The population of the 2011 census will be used for the finalisation of wards. The total population of the municipal area, the population of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, enumerator group maps, and household lists can be obtained from the Census Office. "Ward formation is based on the population from the latest census, so the current number of voters or residents cannot be considered, and it has no relation to ward formation," directives from the UDD said. As per the primary estimates of the civic officials, PMC will have 42 wards and elect 166 corporators. Forty wards will be of four members, and two wards will be of three members. The wards have been proposed on the basis of the 2017 civic polls when a four-member ward system was implemented. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) govt introduced a three-member ward system but after Mahayuti regained power, it scrapped MVA's plan and again promoted the 2017 four-member ward system. PCMC areas are likely to have 128 corporators from 32 wards, each representing four members. How Does It Work ? 1. Prepare the draft ward formation and submit it for approval to the State Election Commission 2. Approve the draft ward formation 3. Publish the draft ward formation 4. Conduct hearings on objections and suggestions received regarding the draft ward formation 5. Submit the proposed final ward formation, after hearings by designated officers, for approval to the State Election Commission 6. Approve the final ward formation 7. Publish the final ward formation Pune: The state govt on Tuesday issued directives to all municipal corporations, including Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), to start the process of delimitation (formation of wards) for the upcoming civic elections. The polls will be held as per a four-member ward system. The directives issued by K H Govindraj, principal secretary of urban development department, said, "While determining the number of wards, each ward should ideally have four members. If a ward cannot have four members, it may have either three or five members, or two wards may have three members each." The process for municipal elections will involve three main stages__formation of wards, determining reservations, and dividing the assembly voters' list by wards, as well as conducting the actual election. "The civic administration is in the process of finalising the exact number of wards and members. The details will be officially declared in the next few days," an official from PMC's election department said. Both PMC and PCMC used a four-member ward system in previous polls (2017). The BJP recorded a clear majority in both municipal bodies. The Supreme Court last month directed the state election commission to notify elections for local bodies within four weeks while disapproving of bureaucrats manning panchayats and municipal corporations because elections were not held. A bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed the EC to follow OBC reservation specifications as existed before the Banthia Commission's report of July 2022. The population of the 2011 census will be used for the finalisation of wards. The total population of the municipal area, the population of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, enumerator group maps, and household lists can be obtained from the Census Office. "Ward formation is based on the population from the latest census, so the current number of voters or residents cannot be considered, and it has no relation to ward formation," directives from the UDD said. As per the primary estimates of the civic officials, PMC will have 42 wards and elect 166 corporators. Forty wards will be of four members, and two wards will be of three members. The wards have been proposed on the basis of the 2017 civic polls when a four-member ward system was implemented. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) govt introduced a three-member ward system but after Mahayuti regained power, it scrapped MVA's plan and again promoted the 2017 four-member ward system. PCMC areas are likely to have 128 corporators from 32 wards, each representing four members. How Does It Work ? 1. Prepare the draft ward formation and submit it for approval to the State Election Commission 2. Approve the draft ward formation 3. Publish the draft ward formation 4. Conduct hearings on objections and suggestions received regarding the draft ward formation 5. Submit the proposed final ward formation, after hearings by designated officers, for approval to the State Election Commission 6. Approve the final ward formation 7. Publish the final ward formation
