New delimitation draft ready

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 22

The Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar (MCJ) on Sunday released the draft copy of the delimitation and has invited objections and suggestions from political parties, aspiring municipal poll candidates and the public latest by November 2.

This time, the city has been divided into 80 wards which have been carved out on the basis of the population size as per the 2011 census. Each ward will have population between 9,000 and 11,000.

Municipal Commissioner Dr Basant Garg said the draft had been put for public view in the municipal office and the people could file their objections from October 23.

“We will accept the objections and suggestions by November 2 and will send it to the Local Bodies Department for their further consideration. It was only after that the department will issue the final notification,” said Dr Garg.

The Punjab Local Bodies Department has drafted the new delimitation under Section 8 of the Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, and clause 7 of the delimitation of Wards of Municipal Corporation Order, 1995.

However, the new delimitation plan has disturbed the well-laid strategy of all political parties planned in the forthcoming municipal elections expected to be held in December this year.

Not only the SAD-BJP coalition and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress leaders too have confessed to getting affected by the new draft plan. While Congress councillor Nirmal Singh Nimma’s ward has been reserved for backward candidate, councillor Major Singh’s ward too has been reserved for an SC woman candidate.

Also, AAP councillor Bal Kishen Bali and BJP leader Ravi Mahendru have been disturbed by the new delimitation plan.

However, former deputy mayor Kamaljit Bhatia seemed to be a relieved lot as 90 per cent of his vote bank remained intact in the new delimitation plan.

“Since the ward now has been reserved for a woman candidate, my wife instead of me, will contest the elections this year. While some of our areas did get shifted to other wards, a majority of my vote bank remained intact,” said Bhatia.

The proposed delimitation plan

• General (women) wards: 1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 31, 33, 37, 43, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 61, 63, 67, 71, 77, 79
• SC (women) wards: 7, 13, 29, 35, 39, 41, 57, 65, 69, 73, 75, 80
• General wards: 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, 40, 44, 48, 50, 52, 54, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 72, 76, 78
• Scheduled Caste (SC) wards: 10, 22, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 42, 46, 59, 70, 74
• Backward Class (BC) wards: 56 and 58

BJP raises objection

• A big controversy erupted after Ramesh Sharma, district president of the BJP, raised objection to the draft plan. The issue flared up after the MC officials failed to provide certified copies of map to political parties.
• According to Sharma, officials just laid the draft plan in the town hall and sought objections from the people. Despite trying repeatedly, officials did not provide them the certified copies. “It was only after we threatened to move court that the MC extended the date of inviting objections to November 2 and provided us certified copies of the map.”

What the MLAs have to say

Rajinder Beri, MLA, Jalandhar (Central): Though the new draft has consolidated the scattered areas under a single ward, it has disturbed the political equation in my constituency. While the number of wards in my constituency has increased from 18 to 21, the new delimitation plan has taken away my crucial vote bank areas, including New Jawahar Nagar and Abadpura.

Bawa Henry, MLA, Jalandhar (North): The new delimitation plan is expected to hamper the development in a few pockets of my constituency. A part of Quilla Mohalla and the Mahendru Mohalla has gone to the central constituency. Also, some of our booths were joined with west constituency as well. As every MLA has his own plan of development, it might not be possible for the area councillor in these areas to carry out the development as planned by me.

Sushil Rinku, MLA, Jalandhar (West): Since the city consists of a majority of old mohallas, these should not be scattered to various constituencies but should be clubbed. The new proposed plan has divided these mohallas into various constituencies which might hamper our political battle of municipal elections in a major way.

Pargat Singh, MLA, Jalandhar (cantonment): The earlier coalition government of the BJP-Akali has made a huge disparity in the formation of wards. While some wards had a population of less than 4,500, some had a population of over 18,000. The present Congress government has paid special emphasis to divide the population equally amongst the wards. In the present arrangement, no ward will have a population less than 9,000 and more than 11,000 people. This will lead to a holistic and equal development in all areas of the city.