The State government move to hasten the delimitation of civic body wards before the next local body general elections is likely to mess up the process.
Starting from the constitution of the Delimitation Commission to preparation and publication of its final report, the commission, headed by the State Election Commissioner, will need to go through a series of procedures. The Commission will need at least two years to complete the process.
Local Self-government Department sources told The Hindu here on Wednesday that hardly 16 months were left for the local body elections due in 2015, and the present thinking was to rush through the procedures in a year.
This haste would throw up a series of legal and administrative problems and may even be challenged in court. Being an exercise with far-reaching political implications, it had to be completed meticulously without giving room for any complaints, sources said.
Time constraints would force the Commission to finish it in a slipshod manner, they added.
The government was yet to take a final call on preliminary steps such as the constitution of the delimitation commission and fixing the voter strength of ward. The feasibility of upgrading grama panchayats as municipalities and some municipalities as corporations was also to be examined. A committee appointed by the United Democratic Front (UDF) had reportedly mooted a through restructuring of wards as well as the rural and urban civic bodies.
The Delimitation Commission would need to hold many sittings and elicit the views and suggestions of political parties in each division. The draft report would have to be placed in the public domain again for inviting suggestions and opinions. Based on the suggestions, the Commission would need to prepare a final report.
Voters’ listSubsequent to such processes, the Commission would have to reorganise the voters’ list in accordance with the new wards.
The number of wards would increase from the present 22,000 and that could be done only in the final phase, sources said.
