Civic issues take a back seat in KMC elections
The Hindu
While the TMC manifesto exhorts the people to have faith in ‘Jana Netri’, the BJP’s focus is on Central forces in election
In contrast to high-pitched Assembly polls in West Bengal earlier this year, the elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation are a muted phenomenon. Even though the elections are being held after a gap of six years, the frantic electioneering that is characteristic of polls in West Bengal is missing.
Political observers feel the results are a foregone conclusion. The Trinamool Congress had a lead in 132 of the 144 wards five months ago and there are little chances that the results would be different this time. But what is surprising about the civic polls that there is not much discussion about civic issues.
About 40.48 lakh voters will on Sunday exercise their franchise to elect 144 civic representatives, who will choose a Mayor and an elected board who will administer the city for the next five years.
Around 440 MBBS graduates of 2021 are not required to undergo one year of compulsory rural service as per the bond signed by them while joining the medical course through government-quota seats in 2015 as the High Court of Karnataka has said the law, enacted in 2012 for mandatory rural service, remained unenforced for 10 years as it was published in the official gazette only in July 2022.