Municipal Commissioner to draft plan for 2022 elections
The Maharashtra Election Commission has issued a notification directing Municipal Commissioners to plan draft for elections to be conducted in 2022.
The Prabhag system of three or four corporators will be removed and one corporator will represent one ward. The system, which was being followed prior to the present Prabhag system will come into force from the next elections.
The Municipal Corporations, where elections are due include Nagpur, Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur, and Nanded-Waghala from this region. Other municipal corporations in the list are Bruhanmumbai, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Panvel, Mira-Bhaindar, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Solapur, Nashik, Malegaon, Parbhani, and Latur.
The notification has been issued under various sub-sections of Article 243 of the Constitution of India and Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act.
Following amendment in the Municipal Corporation Act on December 31, 2019 multi-member Prabhag system was brought in. However, the system is being reverted to old single-member ward representation.
The Election Commission has issued directives to prepare a rough draft for the elections. Reservation of wards will be implemented as per the Supreme Court directives given in Vikas Gawli versus Maharashtra Government case, issued on March 4, 2021.
While preparing the draft geographical changes, developmental works, roads, bridges, buildings should be considered.
The process of collecting information and planning for the rough draft should be undertaken from August 27, the Election Commission has stated in the notification.