Delimitation committee seeks data to carve out wards

Minimum of three wards to be carved out of each Assembly seat

The three-member delimitation committee, which was constituted on July 8, is chaired by Vijay Dev, the State Election Commissioner.  | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

The committee for the delimitation of municipal wards in the Capital on Thursday held a meeting with key stakeholders including officers of the Central government, the Directorate of Census Operations and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi, according to a press note issued by the State Election Commission (SEC).

A senior official present at the meeting said that the stakeholders were directed to provide data relevant to the exercise. The official added that the Delhi CEO and the Directorate of Census Operations, Delhi have already submitted the relevant data to the committee.

The SEC on Thursday said that the number of municipal wards in the city will be fixed at 250, adding that each assembly constituency will be divided into a minimum of three wards.

“The boundary of a ward shall be carved within the boundary of the relevant Assembly constituency and shall not cross it,” the SEC’s press note read.

It also said that the delimitation exercise will be carried out based on the 2011 Census data and that the wards will be carved out in a way that ensures that the population of each ward remains more or less the same with a variation of at most 10%.

According to a senior official, the average population per ward was likely to be around 65,000.

“However, constituencies with bigger populations will have more than three wards. We will get more clarity about these details in the coming months, as the exercise moves forward,” said a senior official.

On July 26, The Hindu reported that the exact number of wards to be carved out of the delimitation exercise was fixed at 250.

The need for the delimitation exercise arose after the Centre notified the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022, which led to the merger of the three erstwhile municipal corporations and caused a reduction in the number of wards from the earlier 272 to “not more than 250”.

According to the order regarding the delimitation exercise, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 22, the committee for delimitation will have to prepare a draft delimitation order that will show the geographical extent of each ward under the MCD.

The order stated that once the draft is approved by the Centre, the committee will put it out in the public domain to invite public suggestions and objections.

“The final proposal shall be sent to the Central Government for consideration, approval and publication in the official Gazette,” the order stated.

The three-member delimitation committee, which was constituted on July 8, is chaired by Vijay Dev, the State Election Commissioner. The other members of the panel are Pankaj Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and Randhir Sahay, Additional Commissioner, MCD. The panel is expected to submit its report within four months from the date of its constitution.