Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
September 4 is the final day to file objections to the ward plan released for the upcoming municipal corporation elections. On Tuesday, the highest number of objections (149) were filed. On Wednesday, the pace slowed down, with only 65 objections submitted, taking the total count to 359. All eyes are now on how many objections will be registered on the final day.
For the first time, elections in the city will be conducted under the prabhag system. Since 1988, six general elections of the municipal corporation have been held, all under the traditional ward system. The last election took place in 2015. According to government directives, 29 prabhags have been created to elect 115 corporators. Each prabhag will elect four members, except for one ward, which will have three members (corporators).
The draft prabhag plan released by the Election Commission has caused widespread discontent. Geographically, some wards are so vast that the distance from one end to another stretches up to 15 km. Citizens have raised concerns about how four representatives can effectively campaign and connect with voters in such large areas. There are also allegations that population enumeration groups in certain places have been arbitrarily divided.
For the past eight days, objections have been submitted at the municipal corporation’s election branch. As of Wednesday evening, officials confirmed that 65 objections were filed, bringing the total to 359. The state government will soon appoint a senior IAS officer to conduct hearings on the objections, after which the schedule for hearings will be announced.