Kolkata, August 27: The West Bengal Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Department has released a draft delimitation list this week, indicating that the number of wards under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) may increase by two beyond the proposed count.
According to the draft, the number of wards in KMC is set to rise from the current 144 to 209. However, an official from the Urban Development Department stated that even with this proposed increase, the state government’s primary goal of maintaining a balanced number of voters in each ward—capped at a maximum of 16,000—has not been achieved in 45 wards.
An official from the Municipal Corporation remarked, “Despite the proposal to increase the number of wards from 144 to 209 in the draft delimitation list, the guidelines to maintain a balanced number of voters have not been followed in 45 wards. To ensure equitable distribution of development funds, it is essential to balance the number of voters across all wards. Therefore, it is quite possible that the number of wards in KMC may need to be increased to 211, which is two more than the proposed figure in the draft.”
KMC, the oldest municipal corporation in the country, is set to hold elections this November. However, several complaints have been lodged, claiming that the process of preparing the delimitation list was rushed and did not maintain a balance in the number of voters across the 45 wards.
In one ward in central Kolkata, the draft delimitation list indicates a voter count of 32,000. Similarly, the average number of voters in 12 wards has remained at 18,000, while in 32 wards, it has dropped to just 13,000. This disparity raises questions about how the state government’s goal of equitable distribution of development funds can be achieved in these 45 wards.
In addition to KMC, the adjacent Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) is also set for elections this November. The draft delimitation list indicates that the number of wards in HMC will increase from the current 50 to 68.
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