Ahead of Mumbai civic polls, BMC gets 9 more wards

In a calculated move, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government has decided to increase the wards of Mumbai’s civic body from 227 to 236.

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) or the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is one of India's biggest and richest civic bodies.

The BMC is scheduled to go to polls in February-March 2022.

At the weekly Cabinet meeting presided over by Maharashtra Chief Minister, the nod was given to the Urban Development Department (UDD) to increase the strength by nine wards.

The number of wards has been enhanced after a gap of two decades.

Following the decision, the UDD will make amendments in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, to change the composition of the corporation.

The move by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress tri-party alliance has not gone down well within the BJP, which described it as a move to delay the civic polls.

The Shiv Sena has been controlling the corporation for over a quarter of a century.

The cabinet gave its go-ahead on grounds that there has been a 3.87 per cent increase in the population in BMC’s jurisdiction.

The decision has also been taken to give more representation to the elected representatives as the number of corporators was fixed at 227 as per the 2001 census (11.19 crore) and was not revised after the 2011 census (1.24 crore).

The Shiv Sena is open to having an alliance with Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Congress,

However, the Congress does not seem to be on the same page of a similar state-like alliance in the case of the Mumbai civic body.

“There are difficulties in managing the thickly populated wards and the government is considering restructuring. With this, we can provide better services and balance the development,” Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena said.

“In fact, Shiv Sena is frightened and are doing such things,” said BJP leader and MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar. “Whatever the Shiv Sena may do, it is the BJP which will win the polls,” he added.

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