The MCD polls, originally scheduled for April, were put off hours before the election schedule was to be announced as the Centre wanted to unify the MCDs from three to one and also conduct delimitation to decrease the number of wards. (File, Representational Photo)The State Election Commission (SEC) has started the process to update the records of nodal officers and polling parties, ahead of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections “likely to be held in the month of December”.
In a letter to the MCD commissioner, the SEC asked the civic body if the officials enlisted for polling duties were still in office or had retired.
“The general elections of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are due and likely to be held during 2022/2023. The State Election Commission, Delhi, is the main nodal agency to conduct the elections and has started the preparedness process. It is intimated that the elections to all three erstwhile DMCs were due during the month of April/May 2022, for which certain information and details were forwarded and/or uploaded on the official website of the SEC by the nodal officer of all three erstwhile DMCs, i.e. NDMC, SDMC and EDMC. The said information was about six-months-old and could not be utilised by the SEC, as per which they have issued a letter bearing No. F 1(57)/SEC/Admn/2021/Pt. III/6870 dated 29.09.2022 with a request to review the old details of polling parties, reception/counting parties, and sector officers, and update them accordingly in the format as provided in their weblink ‘secdelhi.in’,” stated the letter.
Meanwhile, an additional deputy commissioner attached to the MCD’s election office has issued an order dated October 13 to the heads of all the departments, and zonal deputy commissioners to act on the request made by the SEC.
The MCD polls, originally scheduled for April, were put off hours before the election schedule was to be announced as the Centre wanted to unify the MCDs from three to one and also conduct delimitation to decrease the number of wards.
After incorporating the suggestions of the public, the delimitation panel, set up to alter the boundaries of wards under MCD limits, sent its draft to be notified by the Centre. Once the report receives a go-ahead from the Centre, it will be sent to the State Election Commission which can take the final decision on holding the polls, said an official.
Normally, the commission takes a month to hold elections, which means that if everything goes as per plan sans any deadlocks, then the polls can be conducted around December, said a senior official.