In a major push to revive grassroots democracy, the Maharashtra Urban Development Department on Tuesday issued a crucial notification kickstarting the ward formation process for municipal corporations across the state. The move sets the stage for long-pending civic elections in 29 urban bodies that have remained under administrative control in the absence of elected representatives.
Notably, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the richest civic body in India, will retain its existing structure of 227 single-member wards. While the state has opted for a four-member ward system in all other municipal corporations, Mumbai remains an exception. The BMC commissioner will oversee the ward formation process for the city, while municipal commissioners and district collectors have been assigned responsibilities in other regions based on their civic body classification.
Pune and Nagpur fall under Class A, Thane, Nashik, and Pimpri-Chinchwad under Class B, while Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli are grouped under Class C. The remaining 19 municipal corporations have been designated as Class D, with district collectors tasked with managing ward delimitation in these areas.
The process involves drafting new ward boundaries, inviting public objections and suggestions, and finalizing the structure. The State Election Commission has directed the Urban and Rural Development Departments to complete the entire delimitation exercise within 30 to 40 days.
These civic polls are being dubbed as mini-assembly elections due to their political significance, particularly in urban strongholds. Besides the 29 corporations—including the recently added Jalna and Ichalkaranji—248 municipal councils and 147 Nagar Panchayats are currently being managed by administrators. Furthermore, 32 of the 34 Zilla Parishads and 336 out of 351 Panchayat Samitis also lack elected bodies.
The Supreme Court’s May 6 directive, which ordered the restoration of OBC reservation to pre-Banthia Commission levels, paved the way for these elections. With ward formation now officially underway, Maharashtra is heading toward a massive democratic exercise to re-establish elected local governance across the state.
