The MCD polls, originally scheduled for April, were put off hours before the election schedule was to be announced. (File/Representational)Fates of parties contesting Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls will be sealed on December 4, while counting for votes cast on that day will be held on December 7, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced Friday.
The MCD comprises 250 wards, down from 272 that made up the civic body before it was unified earlier this year. Before unification, the MCD was split into three – South, North and East.
Elections were supposed to be held in April, but right before the announcement of the election schedule, the Centre declared its intention to unify the three civic bodies, leading to a delay.
SEC Commissioner Vijay Kumar Dev said the Model Code of Conduct will come into force with immediate effect from Friday itself.
“We completed the delimitation process in Delhi within a limited period of time and polling stations were also redrawn in a time-bound manner,” said Dev.
He said candidates can start filing their nominations from November 7 until November 14. “Nominations will be scrutinised on November 16 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is November 19,” said Dev, adding that the “much awaited polls will be held on December 4, countings will take place on December 7, and the elections process will be completed on December 15”.
Of the 250 wards, 42 have been reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, in proportion to their population percentage as per the 2011 census.
“Also, not less than 50 percent of the seats are reserved for women out of the reserved SC seats, i.e, 21 seats. Out of the remaining 208 seats, 104 have been reserved for women and 104 reserved for general category,” said Dev.
As per the data shared by the SEC, 1.46 crore people will cast their vote – 79.86 lakh men, 66.86 women, and 1,061 transgender persons. Polling stations have been increased from 13,138 in 2017 to 13,665 now.
The maximum limit of election expenditure a candidate can incur has been increased to Rs 8 lakh from Rs 5.75 lakh.
The elections commission has also launched an app called ‘Dilli Nigam Chunav’, on which the public can file complaints against model code of conduct (MCC) violations. “Defacement of property by putting posters and banners is restricted and loudspeakers are allowed from 6 am to 10 pm,” said Dev.
The commission has issued instructions to the MCD to ensure that every polling station is equipped with drinking water, toilet, ramp for the physically disabled, and at least one model polling station and one all-woman staff booth is present in each constituency.
There will be a mock poll before the commencement of actual polling. Around 1 lakh polling staff and 2,000 sector officers will be among those deployed to ensure things go off smoothly.
“All events will be videographed and elaborate security arrangements will be made for law and order, and to ensure elections in a free, fair and transparent manner,” said Dev.
The BJP has been at the helm of the MCD – in both unified and trifurcated avatars – for the last 15 years. This time, it faces a tough challenge from the AAP.
“In the last 15 years, BJP has spread trash all over Delhi, creating mountains of garbage. This time, on December 4, people of Delhi will vote for cleanliness, and to make Delhi clean and beautiful. This time, Delhiites will choose AAP in the municipal corporation too,” tweeted Chief Minister Kejriwal, whose party has made cleanliness a key poll plank.
Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said their workers are enthusiastic for the polls and going among the masses to “unmask the impostors”.
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee head Anil Kumar said the party “should seize this opportunity to come back to power in the MCD by exposing the corruption and incompetence of the AAP and BJP”.