Following the Supreme Court direction to the Election Commission of Maharashtra to conduct local civic elections within four months, the officials from the BMC are uncertain about conducting the polls during the monsoon.
The term of Mumbai’s corporators ended on 8 March 2022. Currently, the BMC is being administered by the state, as the case regarding OBC reservation in civic elections and ward delimitation was pending in the Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the State Election Commission to notify the election within four weeks, and an endeavour should be made to complete the process within four months, as per the law that existed in the state prior to 2022.
A civic official from the election department said, “We are waiting for directions from the State Election Commission. Also, if the election has to be conducted within four months, it will fall during the monsoon season, making it very difficult to conduct the polls,” officials added. As the Supreme Court mentioned that the election should be held as per the law existing in 2022, there is a possibility that the number of wards will remain the same.
In 2022, the BMC conducted a lottery for 236 wards. Nine wards had been added through delimitation during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. In 2017, there were 227 electoral wards in the city. In May 2022, the BMC conducted a lottery for reservations without including the OBC quota. In July 2022, the BMC held a second lottery that included a 27 per cent OBC quota.
Meanwhile, the process of conducting the election will take at least 82 to 84 days, the official added. This includes declaring the ward reservation lottery, accepting suggestions and objections, publishing the final voter list, accepting nomination forms, scrutinising them, and conducting the election.
