HYDERABAD: With less than a month left for the civic body’s term to expire, the process of delimitation of election wards in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has not begun due to ambiguity in the orders (GOMs.No.12) issued by municipal administration department dated October 22.
This means that elections to the GHMC may be delayed by at least six months or even more. As the government did not mention about the number of wards for delimitation, the corporation is seeking clarification from the state government. After getting a clarification, GHMC will take up delimitation process.
In view of the increase in population as per Census 2011 (67,31,790), the corporation has proposed to increase the wards to 172 from the present 150 and the same was conveyed to the government. But in the order issued last month there was no mention of number of wards to be divided, GHMC officials told Express.
The government issued orders after examining the matter and in pursuance of the orders of the High Court to start the delimitation process as per the guidelines issued in GOMs No 570, dated November 6, 1996 and directed GHMC commissioner to take necessary action.
There should be 143 wards for the number of elected members for first 50 lakh population. Number of elected members for the remaining population (for every 60,000 of the population above 50 lakh) there should be one additional elected member). The GHMC population as per the 2011 census is 67.31 lakh, and there have been petitions filed seeking delimitation with equal distribution of voters, following which the High Court issued directions in August calling for delimitation at the earliest, and elections thereafter.
The State Election Commission requires 35 days to complete direct elections to ward members (28 days) and indirect elections to Mayor and Deputy mayor (7 days) and the election notification is to be issued in the last week of Oct to see that poll process is completed before the expiry of the term.