Prabhag formation to be based on Census 2011 data

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The population of the city is 12.28 lakh as per the 2011 Census. Based on this figure, 29 prabhags will be created for a total of 115 municipal wards (seats). Prabhag No. 1 will begin from Harsul, while Prabhag No. 20 will end at Nakshatrawadi. Each prabhag will consist of around 36,000 to 40,000 residents. Reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) prabhags will be applied later by the Election Commission, said municipal corporation sources.

The Urban Development Department (UDD) of the state government issued orders on June 12 directing all municipal corporation bodies to carry out ward delimitation and form prabhags. A timeline has also been provided, instructing that the proposed prabhag structure be submitted to the Election Commission between July 8 and 10. A report by the newspaper on Wednesday highlighted that the municipal corporation had not yet initiated the delimitation process. In response, the administration has now scheduled an on-ground inspection for June 19.

Sources revealed that each prabhag will consist of four wards and the prabhags will be structured following the shape of the English letter ‘Z’—starting from the left and ending on the right. Despite a significant increase in the current population—up to tenfold in some areas—the 2011 census data will still be used for delimitation. However, the number of voters will be considered as per the present population. SC/ST reservations will be applied in descending order by the Election Commission.

OBC reservation still unclear

There are no clear directives yet regarding reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC). The Election Commission and the state government will take the final call on this matter, sources said.