In the aftermath of the Supreme Court (SC) giving approval to the Banthia Commission report on the OBC population which paved the way for reservation amongst the community in the local body elections, reports claim that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will have to yet again rework the electoral ward reservation procedure.
According to an account by the Free Press Journal, BMC officials have claimed that considering the increased wards, 64 wards could be reserved for the OBC community candidates. The narrative suggests that once OBC candidates are given reservations this year, 155 seats could remain for the open candidates.
In the 2017 BMC elections, 61 seats were reserved for the said community and an aggregate of 227 electoral wards were present. However, taking into account the rise in population, nine wards were increased this year which took the number to 236.
Following the SC order, the State Election Commission (SEC) told the BMC to finish the needed election process. Narratives suggest that the civic authority complete wards reservation, ward demarcation, prepare the voter's list and invited tender for the equipment needed for putting up booths.
Back in May, the BMC had conducted a lottery for the reservation in the electoral ward wherein from the 236 wards, 109 were reserved for women. Likewise, 15 were reserved for the Scheduled Cast (SC) candidates from which seven were reserved for SC women candidates. On the other hand, two were reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community from which one was reserved for the ST women candidates.
Share
Tweet
