Officials say most of the data needed for the exercise is already available with the delimitation panel.
Officials say most of the data needed for the exercise is already available with the delimitation panel.
Most of the work on delimitation of municipal wards in Delhi has been completed and a three-member delimitation committee is on track to submit a draft report on the exercise within the stipulated time frame (November 2022), sources familiar with the development said on Saturday.
A source said the committee has already received data from the Directorate of Census Operations, while the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi has provided the latest electoral rolls. The exact number of wards to be removed from the exercise has been fixed at 250, the source said.
“The work on the delimitation exercise is progressing at a brisk pace as the data used are from the 2011 Census and digital maps from the previous delimitation exercise. [in 2016] are already available. We have to reduce only 22 wards [from 272 to 250] Further focus is on those assembly constituencies which have more than three wards, while the average population per ward will be around 65,000,” said a source.
four month time frame
The three-member delimitation committee, which was constituted on July 8, is headed by state election commissioner Vijay Dev. The panel is expected to submit its report within four months from the date of its formation.
According to a July 22 order of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), each assembly constituency will be divided into at least three wards. However, senior officials of the State Election Commission said that there is no upper limit for this.
“The draft delimitation report will be completed soon and after the Centre’s approval, it will be uploaded in the public domain for suggestions and objections. This is likely to be done a month before the deadline, while the grievances raised will be disposed of in the next month,” the source said, adding that the final proposal would be sent to the Center for consideration, approval and publication. official Gazette.
The need for the delimitation exercise arose after the central government notified the Municipal Corporations of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2022, which proposed the merger of the three erstwhile municipal corporations – North, South and East, and proposed a reduction in the number of councilor seats. went. “Not more than 250 seats” out of existing 272.