CM turns down 2-ward system for civic polls
Sanjay Jog
sanjay.jog@
The upcoming elections to the municipal corporations, except the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held as per the three-member ward system. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday turned down the requests by the NCP and the Congress party for a two-member system. Both the parties have argued a three-member system may benefit the BJP. For the BMC, the state cabinet has retained a one-member ward system.
The elections to civic bodies are scheduled for early 2022. Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat had hinted that the cabinet may reconsider the three-member system. State Congress president Nana Patole had also urged Thackeray to reconsider it and introduce a two-member ward system. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the NCP were also in favour of a two-member system.
Urban development minister Eknath Shinde had earlier proposed a four-member ward system but ultimately the cabinet last week gave approval for a three-member ward system. Shinde argued that the three-member system will expedite the implementation of various development works and ultimately benefit the citizens.
According to the three-member system, voters will elect a three-member panel in wards in municipal corporations. In municipal councils, voters will elect a panel of two members and in a single-member ward system, voters will cast their vote for one candidate as done in the BMC.
A senior urban development department officer said the three-member system will be implemented in the municipal corporations of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Panvel, Mira-Bhayandar, Solapur, Nashik, Malegaon, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghala, Latur, Amravati, Akola, Nagpur and Chandrapur.
The upcoming elections to the municipal corporations, except the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held as per the three-member ward system. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday turned down the requests by the NCP and the Congress party for a two-member system. Both the parties have argued a three-member system may benefit the BJP. For the BMC, the state cabinet has retained a one-member ward system.
The elections to civic bodies are scheduled for early 2022. Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat had hinted that the cabinet may reconsider the three-member system. State Congress president Nana Patole had also urged Thackeray to reconsider it and introduce a two-member ward system. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the NCP were also in favour of a two-member system.
Urban development minister Eknath Shinde had earlier proposed a four-member ward system but ultimately the cabinet last week gave approval for a three-member ward system. Shinde argued that the three-member system will expedite the implementation of various development works and ultimately benefit the citizens.
According to the three-member system, voters will elect a three-member panel in wards in municipal corporations. In municipal councils, voters will elect a panel of two members and in a single-member ward system, voters will cast their vote for one candidate as done in the BMC.
A senior urban development department officer said the three-member system will be implemented in the municipal corporations of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Panvel, Mira-Bhayandar, Solapur, Nashik, Malegaon, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghala, Latur, Amravati, Akola, Nagpur and Chandrapur.
