The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed the bill by voice vote proposing the reduction in the number of BMC wards to 227 from 236. The bill was moved by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde who strongly defended the move saying that it was done as per the Constitution and prevailing rules, laws and norms and not merely due to the majority of the government.
However, the NCP and Thackeray faction strongly opposed the bill and questioned how Shinde, who as the urban development minister in MVA had presented a bill to increase the BMC wards to 236 from 227, has changed his mind now. They spoke against the amendment by highlighting a Supreme Court decision directing for a status quo.
However, Congress and Samajwadi Party supported the bill. Congress MLA Amin Patel and Samajwadi Party MLA Raees Sheikh called upon the past government's decision stating that ward delimitation was done to "benefit a particular party" and was not in the interest of the citizens of Mumbai.
Sheikh claimed that the changes were done to target corporators from other parties who worked for several years by breaking the wards they represented. Both Patel and Sheikh did not name any party.
Amit Satam (BJP) elaborated upon the reversal stating that in the 2011 census, there was a 3.87 per cent increase in population and since it was a minimal increase, the wards were not increased in 2017. But the number was increased by nine wards by the previous government, which was illegal, he claimed.
The government in the bill said, ‘’The number of councillors in the BMC and minimum and a maximum number of elected councillors of other municipal corporations had been increased considering growth in urban population and the speed of urbanization, on the basis of figures of Census of 2011 ad hypothetical calculation of population in 2021-22 respectively. However, it was considered expedient to specify the number of councillors of corporations on the basis of population as per Census 2021 after it is completed.’’
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended the decision clarifying that the apex court directive was in another case pertaining to quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). He said, "Our ordinance is for reversing the number of wards from 236 to 227. There is no legal impediment."
Speaker Rahul Narvekar defended the bill passed on Wednesday saying courts cannot decide on the enactment of legislation. It is the prerogative of the legislature.
Chief Minister informed that his government received 892 complaints against the delimitation of wards by the previous government.
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