Draft Ward Structure Submitted to Urban Development Department; Final Map to Be Published on August 22

Pimpri-Chinchwad | The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s draft four-member ward structure was submitted by the municipal election department to the State Government’s Urban Development Department on Tuesday (August 5). The ward structure map will subsequently be sent to the Election Commission for approval. Following this, the Municipal Corporation will publish the ward structure on August 22. Political circles and aspirants are showing increasing curiosity about how the ward boundaries will be drawn.

According to the Supreme Court’s verdict, elections to the local self-government bodies in the state will be held in the coming months. Since the local body elections scheduled for 2017 are now finally taking place, there is tremendous enthusiasm among former corporators and aspirants. Speculation is rife about the nature of the new ward structure. The municipal election department is being frequently questioned in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation was dissolved on March 12, 2022. Since then—i.e., from March 13, 2022—the administration has been under a commissioner-led regime. Commissioner and Administrator Shekhar Singh, along with a team led by Assistant Commissioner of the Election Department Avinash Shinde, has prepared the ward maps. Voter numbers per ward have been determined based on the 2011 Census of the city. The ward structure prepared by the municipal committee was reviewed and signed by Commissioner Shekhar Singh on Sunday (August 3).

The draft ward maps were submitted to the State Government’s Urban Development Department on Tuesday (August 5). The maps will then be sent to the State Election Commission between August 6 and 11. After approval from the commission, the draft ward maps will be published on August 22, and objections and suggestions will be accepted until August 28. Meanwhile, it is said that the new ward structure will be based on the February 2017 election model. Following this, the municipal elections are likely to be announced between December and January, post-Diwali.