Two weeks after panel formation, no headway in delimitation exercise

No notification issued by the Centre, three-member committee yet to start work

Two weeks after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)  formed a three-member committee for the delimitation of wards in the Capital, the panel is yet to start work as it awaits for a notification from the Centre. 

According to a source familiar with the development, the committee is still in the dark about the way forward, especially on the exact number of wards that have to be carved out in the delimitation exercise, with the limit being not more than 250 seats.

Section five of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act specifies that the Centre will have to determine the following: the number of wards, the extent of each ward, which wards will be reserved for Scheduled Castes and for women candidates, and the manner in which the seats shall be rotated. 

“Without these specifications, we are unable to proceed ahead with the exercise. No recent meetings have taken place with the Centre. MCD and State Election Commission employees have been roped in for the exercise but we can’t instruct them on much unless the specifications come through,” said the source. 

According to the MHA’s order dated July 8, the three-member committee headed by State Election Commissioner, Delhi, Vijay Dev, is required to complete the delimitation exercise and submit its report within four months from the date of issue of the order. 

“It is possible to complete this exercise within four months since there are digitised maps from the previous delimitation exercise that was completed in 2016. Moreover, the exercise will be conducted based on 2011 census data,” said the source. 

Earlier, senior officials familiar with the delimitation of wards had said the exercise is tedious and will require “at least one year time”, adding that the previous exercise was also time-consuming.