Tardy delimitation work delays 5 MC polls

Ravneet Singh

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Patiala, April 16

Elections to five Municipal Corporations in the state are in limbo due to the ongoing preparation for the Jalandhar bypoll and delay in ward delimitation work.

The tenure of Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar MCs came to an end between January 22 and 26.

In December 2022, the Department of Local Government started the process of appointment of administrators as part of preparations for the elections.

Announcement soon

Dates to hold MC elections will be decided after Jalandhar bypoll. Part of the process of ward delimitation is also pending. We will get it completed soon. —Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Local government minister

Municipal Corporation Phagwara, formed in 2020, was also set to go to the polls along with the other four, but the Department of Local Government hasn’t yet completed the ward delimitation work.

On June 1 last year, the Department of Local Government had issued a notification for completion of survey of voters in respective Corporations. The MC offices allotted various employees, including junior engineers, inspectors, SDOs and others, the task of carrying out the survey of voters in all wards.

But due to various lapses, the survey was delayed multiple times and it came to an end in December.

Local Government Minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar said the dates of Jalandhar bypoll have been announced. “Dates to hold MC elections will be decided after that. Part of the process of ward delimitation is also pending. We will get it completed soon.”

As per protocol, the Corporation’s survey of voters is submitted to the Department of Local Government which decides on the boundaries of the wards. Every ward comprises 6,000 to 8,000 voters.