The decks have been cleared for holding the long overdue panchayat and municipal elections in the Union Territory with the Local Administration Department publishing the final notification of delimited wards.
The LAD issued the notification in the extraordinary gazette following the Lt. Governor’s approval.
The local body elections were last held in the Union Territory of Puducherry in 2006 and the process was due from 2011 onwards.
On May 8, 2018, the Supreme Court had directed the Government of Puducherry to complete the delimitation of wards for panchayat and municipal elections within four weeks and to hold civic elections immediately thereafter.
According to Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi, the LAD had submitted the proposal to the government to publish the delimited municipal or panchayat wards, which had been cleared.
As per the Constitution and the laws governing local bodies, reservation had been provided for women (33%), Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
“It is expected that civic elections will be held soon after the general elections to Parliament to comply with the directions of the Supreme Court as well as fulfil the aspirations of people of Puducherry for grassroots democracy,” Ms. Bedi added.