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With the state election commission all set to declare the final delimitation map for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), speculations are rife that the polls for these two civic bodies would be held in the second phase of elections in September.
The state government had delayed the civic elections after all political parties reached a consensus to hold the polls only after the political reservation for the Other Backward Class (OBC) category is restored. However, the Supreme Court recently directed the state election commissions to start the process for the civic polls and declare the programme in two weeks.
“The Supreme Court on May 4 directed the state election commission to resume the election process for civic polls that was suspended on March 10. Accordingly, the state election commission has restarted the election process for 14 municipal corporations,” said Avinash Sanas, Deputy Commissioner of the state election commission.
Thus, the finalisation of the delimitation map for civic bodies, including PMC and PCMC, will be completed on May 11 and will be published in the official government gazette on May 17. “The finalisation of delimitation map has been done by the state election commission after considering all the recommendations made by the designated officer,” said Sanas.
According to a PMC official, the Supreme Court directives have put restrictions on extending the tenure of the administration by more than six months. “The administrator for PMC was appointed on March 16 so there are still four months for completion of six months. Thus, the elections for PMC can be conducted till September,” said the official.
The state election commission is likely to hold the civic elections in two phases with the first phase focusing on polls for municipal corporations that are without an elected general body for more than six months while the municipal corporations where the administrator was appointed recently are likely to go for polls in the second phase.
“The elections of all civic bodies at the same time are likely to put pressure on government machinery. Thus, the civic polls are likely to be held in phases,” he said.
