Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court that it would not proceed with the process of delimitation of wards with respect to the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) till further hearing of a plea against the reduction of wards in the civic body. The court posted the matter for hearing on December 20.
A division bench of Justices S V Gangapurwala and A S Doctor was hearing two petitions filed by two former councillors, challenging an ordinance issued by the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government reducing the number of directly elected councillors within the limits of the BMC from 236 to 227.
According to a report of PTI, Senior counsel Vikram Nankani, appearing for the state government, told the court on Wednesday that till the next date of hearing, the government would not proceed with the delimitation process with regard to the BMC.
The state Urban Development Department in an affidavit filed on Wednesday said the petitions have been filed with ulterior motives and ought to be dismissed with exemplary cost. The malafide and political influence behind filing of the present petitions is evident, it said.
The State Election Commission in its affidavit filed on Wednesday in response to the petitions said in 2021, when the seats were increased by the Maharashtra government from 227 to 236, the SEC had to scrap the work already done by it with regard to the pre-election process and restart it.