DAYS AFTER the Maharashtra Assembly and Legislative Council passed two Bills that allow the state government to take over the powers of delimitation and ward formation for local body elections, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said they are likely to be ordered to redo the process of redrawing ward boundaries in Mumbai.
The final draft of ward boundaries was recently submitted to the State Election Commission for approval. “We are unclear about the redrawing of ward boundaries. We are awaiting instructions from the state government,” said a civic official on the condition of anonymity.
BMC had issued a draft notification of an increase in the number of electoral wards from the existing 227 to 236, asking for suggestions and objections over the addition of nine new electoral wards.
It received over 800 suggestions and objections. After scrutiny, the civic body submitted the final draft for SEC approval in the first week of March.
According to BMC officials, three wards each in island city (Colaba to Mahim and Sion), western suburb (Bandra to Dahisar) and eastern suburb (Kurla to Mulund and Mankhurd) have been added.
The state government introduced two bills to amend the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Townships Act, 1965, the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act and the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961. The bills were passed unanimously in both the Council and the Assembly on March 8.