Mumbai: Need just 8 days to redraw electoral wards, says BMC

Civic body says it will send renewed maps to SEC as soon as it gets govt directives on adding nine more electoral wards

The civic body is yet to start the mapping process, as the state government has not notified its decision of adding nine more electoral wards in Mumbai. However, officials said that the BMC will need just eight days to complete the work once the official notification comes.

Moreover, senior civic officials told mid-day that the administrative wards having eight to 10 electoral wards will get two returning officers to keep a check on the violation of code of conduct. Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said draft maps and population shuffle are ready, and the BMC has accordingly submitted the plans of 227 existing electoral wards to the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC). Once the state government sends an official notification, the civic body will send a rough plan to the SEC within eight days, he added.

While redrawing the boundaries of electoral wards, the BMC has to ensure that each of them (236 when nine more are added) has a population of 50,000, said sources. The civic body has also started the preparations for the civic polls due early next year. More than 70,000 people, up from previously used 50,000, will be put on election duty. BMC's pregnant employees will be exempted owing to the pandemic.

The number of booths will also be increased to 11,500 from 8,500 present in the last election, to avoid crowding. Municipal employees will be trained in three phases, and this will include handling of EVM machines, voting process and counting of votes. To avoid any inconvenience on the day of election, accommodations near the polling stations will be arranged the day before.

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