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Postponement of MCD polls feared

Staff Reporter

Demarcation of municipal wards yet to take off

NEW DELHI: With work of the Delimitation Commission not taking off according to plan, fears are being expressed here that elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, due early next year, could stand postponed if the demarcation of municipal wards is not carried by the end of this year. Expressing apprehension that lack of proper guidelines and availability of authentic data might render the entire delimitation exercise for the 134 municipal wards in the Capital useless, Nationalist Congress Party MLA and member of the Delimitation Commission, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, said any further delay in furnishing first hand information could delay holding of MCD polls on schedule.

Stating that his concern and that of the other members including the Member of Parliament from South Delhi, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, and former Delhi Minister Pervez Hashmi had been conveyed to the State Election Commissioner, S.P. Marwah, he said holding meetings to demarcate new boundaries was of no use till basic issues were sorted out. Highlighting his point of view, Mr. Bidhuri said the Delimitation Commission for the Assembly constituencies under Justice (Retd) Kuldeep Singh was still carrying on with its work and had not notified any document as the draft or the final version. He said the Commission had still not published the final draft and till that was done it would not be possible to carry out the delimitation exercise for the municipal wards, as the whole matter was inter-linked with the Assembly constituencies.

Mr. Bidhuri said during the meeting held on July 28 under the chairmanship of Mr. Marwah he had conveyed his serious concern over the issue and it was shared by other members also.

He said as a large number of changes were anticipated to be made in the Assembly constituencies in the Capital, it would not be feasible for the Delimitation Commission to continue with its work with the present status of the constituencies. There will be a large shift of population and boundaries from one constituency to another when the final draft is notified.

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