BMC 2017 Delimitation Update: Hike in number of wards meant for SCs

With the BMC Elections 2017 round the corner, the task of carving out ward boundaries and marking reserved category wards are underway. Owing to an increase in Mumbai’s Scheduled Caste (SC) population, the BMC has decided to increase the number of reserved electoral wards to 15 from the present number of 11. However, the number of wards allocated to Scheduled Tribe (ST) will remain at 2 only.

 

Earlier, the civic body had announced reduction of number of wards in South Mumbai by six wards i.e. from present 62 wards to 56 wards. These six wards moved to the suburbs. One electoral ward has been carved out of each of the A, B, C, D, E and G-South administrative wards and consequently four of those wards have been added to the western suburbs and two to the eastern suburbs.

 

Wards are demarcated on the basis of population residing in a particular area. The BMC has decided to peg the population limit in a particular ward to 54000 people per ward, with a buffer of 10% here and there. However, this time around, the BMC has also decided to use a natural barriers as ward boundaries, whereever feasible. Sources said, “Mumbai does not have natural barriers like ridges and rivers, but we are using highways, nullahs and railway lines as barriers, only to ease the process of demarcating the wards and carrying out administrative work during the elections.”