AMC polls: HC issues notice to state EC

The Gujarat High Court has issued a notice to the state Election Commission on a Public Interest Litigation seeking an increase in the number of wards in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation as also to abolish the system of electing a three-member panel at each ward.

The Gujarat High Court has issued a notice to the state Election Commission on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an increase in the number of wards in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) as also to abolish the system of electing a three-member panel at each ward.

The PIL has been moved by Pankaj Vaghela. He has sought the courts direction to either increase the number of wards to 192 or reduce the number of councillors to 64 in the next municipal elections.

Vaghela has contended that as per the constitutional mandate,each voter should have a right to vote for only one candidate in a given constituency.

However,he said,in AMC where the constituency is known as Ward,the voter has to vote for three-member panel. So,in effect,the voter is casting three votes for the single constituency.

Through his counsel Yatin Oza,Vaghela has contended that the AMC the institution of self-governance is the third tier of governance in India. He contended that each constituency of it should follow the pattern of Parliament and state Assembly,where only one candidate represents each constituency.

A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya has directed the state Election Commission to file its reply. Further hearing has been kept for May 6. ENS

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