Maharashtra govt scraps ‘one ward, one corporator’ system, except in Mumbai

The Uddhav Thackeray-led government will now seek the approval of the governor

Barely a month after the State Election Commission (SEC) asked poll-bound municipal bodies to revert to the single-member ward system, the state cabinet on Wednesday decided to go back to the multi-member structure. The only exception has been Mumbai, and the metro will continue to have ‘one ward, one corporator' system this time as well.

The MVA government had revised a multi-member ward system in December 2019, but it changed its mind once again by deciding to amend the municipal acts that were revised by the erstwhile BJP-led government. According to information available, the number of representatives from each ward will not exceed four, with a provision of reducing the strength to three wherever possible. The number of elected representatives cannot be less than two, said a note from the CM's office. The cabinet approved a decision to promulgate an ordinance to amend the acts and send it to the governor for approval.

"The government had changed the ward structure, but since a feedback that the government got while mitigating the COVID-19 and the ground realities that the elected representatives brought forth have showed that a collective representation can resolve the civic issues efficiently, a multi-member ward structure will be implemented yet again," said the note.

The term of the civic bodies in Mumbai, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Panvel, Mira Bhayander, Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune, Solapur, Nashik, Malegaon, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghela, Latur, Amravati, Akola, Nagpur and Chandrapur will end in 2022 and they are scheduled go to polls between February and summer. The SEC had asked the municipal commissioners late last month to revert to the single-member ward system.

Ordinance to restore OBC quota

After restoring the OBC political quota of maximum 27 per cent in rural self-governments, the state cabinet also approved a similar ordinance for urban local bodies, including BMC. In both cases, it has been ensured that the total reservation will not exceed 50 per cent and not all local bodies will have a 27 per cent OBC quota.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had asked the government to clarify on its preparedness to counter the legal challenges to the ordinance which was sent to him for signing. The Cabinet has assured Koshyari that it would overcome legal hassles successfully. The revised ordinance on rural bodies like ZPs/panchayat samitis and those regarding urban bodies including Mumbai will be sent to Koshyari.

Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis had said earlier in the day that the quota ordinances should sustain legal scrutiny and could only be issued with the permission of the Supreme Court that had stayed the quota on certain grounds and laid conditions before the MVA government to restore it. "The governor has taken a pro-OBC stand in seeking a clarification from the government. The ordinances shouldn't prove to be a sham. The OBCs should not be cheated by promulgating legally weak ordinances," said the former CM.

Relief for hsg sctys

In another decision, the state cabinet on Wednesday allowed all cooperatives, including housing societies, to hold their annual general meetings (AGM) till March 31, 2022, instead of September 30, 2021, because of pandemic-related delays in accounting and other administrative matters. The management have been allowed to take decisions on important matters pertaining to finance, next year's budgeting and appointment of empanelled auditors. The deadline for the submission of audited accounts has been extended by nine months after the end of the financial year.