BENGALURU: A day after the draft of delimitation of wards was announced by the state government, most people criticised the exercise saying it has been done in haste, while others say it is a good move. Some others are not only planning to raise objections with the state government, but also approach the High Court.
Former BBMP commissioner K Jairaj said that constitutionally, delimitation of wards based on population should be done once in five years. “Some of the old wards, like Chamarajpet, Basavanagudi, may not have seen much change, but north and west Bengaluru, where there is rampant development, are good cases for delimitation. It is delayed, but at least the exercise has been done,” he added.
But another retired BBMP official was not convinced. “The BBMP has not done what it should have. The draft clearly shows inclination towards some political parties and corporators, and the election commission does not seem to have been roped in. The delimitation proposal was discussed last year and it took the BBMP and government three to four months to create such a poor draft,” said another former BBMP official.
Rajkumar Dugar, Convenor of Citizens for Citizens, said the revision has been done with an average population base of around 42,000 people. If the intention is to ensure equitable number of voters, then the exercise is good, but if there are hidden agendas then there will be problems. The timing is also interesting, as BBMP elections are just round the corner.
Srinivas Alavilli, founder-member, Citizens for Bengaluru, said delimitation should have been done by the EC and not the state. “Going by the population, the number of wards should increase. But that has not happened because the government will then have to amend the Karnataka Municipal Act, which states that not more than 200 wards can be created. It is ideal to divide and decentralise BBMP administration,” he said.
A BBMP official, who did not want to be named, admitted that the exercise was done in haste. “It is ironic that when the wards were being redefined former Mayors have lost out, especially Gangambike Mallikarjun, who had signed for the delimitation exercise,” the official said.