As per a state decision granting 50 per cent reservation for women in the civic elections,the Mumbai Nagrik Manch,a city-based organisation,elected its first woman candidate on Sunday for the upcoming civic polls for the Vile Parle (West) ward. The group,which focuses on empowering citizens for local governance,will field Hina Shroff,a housewife and an active member of the area Advanced Locality Management (ALM),from the ward for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections scheduled for early next year. We plan to replicate this process in other wards such Mahim,Chembur and Borivali, Sachin Nanavati of the Mumbai Nagrik Manch said. The group said it plans to field at least half a dozen more candidates. In the 2012 civic elections,114 seats will be contested by women out of 227. The group held a poll at the Nanavati School Hall,Santacruz,to choose their candidate for the municipal poll and Shroff was selected from among four nominees. More than a hundred people comprising the groups area representatives and the general public attended the event and questioned the candidates on various topics such as encroachments,garbage and slums. A three-member expert panel also quizzed the candidates on their plans for the constituency. The Vile Parle (West) ward also installed its Citizens Ward Committee that will serve the constituency for the next five years notwithstanding the election results.
