Local bodies to get 22,800 more women members

Wards reserved for SCs will increase by 1,400 at all levels of rural local bodies

Following the recent delimitation exercise, over 22,800 more women, belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the general category, will become members of wards and heads of rural local bodies (RLBs) in the State, as and when civic polls take place. This time, the number of wards reserved for SCs will increase by around 1,400 at all levels of RLBs.

When the local body polls were last held in 2011, the total number of seats reserved for all categories of women in the RLBs was 40,064, whereas this time, it is 62,873.

The aggregate of the figures of wards of village panchayats, panchayat unions and district panchayats, along with those of the posts of presidents and chairpersons of the three RLBs, comes to 119,393.

A few days ago, the government notified the revised limits of wards of the local bodies in the gazette. In respect of quota among heads of local bodies, it is sticking to its 2016 notification. The State Election Commission is contemplating holding the polls by the end of August.

There are two reasons for the increase in the number of wards and posts. In 2016, the State government enhanced the quantum of reservation for women in local bodies from around 33% to 50%. Besides, in the wake of the recent delimitation exercise of wards of the local bodies, there is a perceptible increase in the number of wards for SCs and STs, which has been arrived at on the basis of the population of the two communities.

Except in the case of panchayat unions, whose tally went up by 3 and now stands at 388, the State government had decided to retain the overall number of wards for all the local bodies.

In the case of the village panchayats, the presence of SC women will be felt as 6,516 more SC women will be elected as ward members, compared to 2011. Likewise, 377 more ST women and 12,726 general category women will be elected.

Similarly, for the post of ward members of panchayat unions, the SC women community will see a rise in its representation by 241; ST women by 15; and those in the general category by 794. As for district panchayats, the corresponding figures are 25, 3 and 79.

In addition to what has been allocated, there is no bar on women contesting from seats earmarked for the general category.