By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 24 Dec: Change in reservation of seats and wards in Municipal Corporations and Municipal Councils vis a vis the last time and then the subsequent amendments made yesterday have queered the pitch for a large number of ticket aspirants from the BJP, Congress as well as independent candidates.
The provisional list of reservations issued by the Urban Development Department on 14 December had itself created a stir in the state. A large number of objections had been filed by the ticket aspirants who were getting affected due to reservation of the Mayoral seats, seats of Municipal chairpersons as well as for the wards. Subsequently, final reservation lists were released today making significant amendments in the provisional lists, thereby affecting a new set of probable candidates. Even for the parties like BJP and the Congress, the reservations have made the task of selecting the candidates on seats and in the wards more challenging while a large number of hopefuls have been rendered ineligible.
Sources in the BJP as well as Congress admit that the amendments made in the provisional lists would lead to fresh calculations on a large number of wards and on the mayoral and municipal chairperson seats.
It may be recalled that, yesterday, the final notifications were issued in respect of the reservations in the Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and the Nagar Panchayats. In all, 3 changes were made in Mayoral seats out of 11 Municipal Corporations, in chairpersons’ seats in 18 municipal councils and also 18 changes were made on chairpersons in Nagar Panchayats.
Sources claim that after the amendments made public yesterday, BJP’s observers are now preparing to undertake fresh exercise on several wards as well as mayoral and chairperson seats. Overall, 50 observers had already finalised panels of probable candidates after taking feedback from local party workers. Now the party will have to begin fresh exercise on the panels in the wards as well as the seats in the corporations, councils and the Nagar Panchayats.
Speaking to Garhwal Post, State Media In charge Manveer Chauhan admitted that fresh exercise and re-calculation in many wards and on many seats will now be necessitated. He added that the party has already begun the fresh exercise in respect of the affected seats and the wards. He also shared that high level discussion has also begun in the party from today on the panels submitted by the observers and that the candidates will soon be announced.
On the other hand, Vice President of Pradesh Congress Committee, Mathura Dutt Joshi also spoke to Garhwal Post in this regard. He admitted that the party believed that the provisional list of reservations released on 14 December would be final and was preparing to finalise the candidates accordingly. However, now the changes made in the final reservation lists would be taken into account for finalising the candidates. He also conceded that little time is left to resort to fresh detailed exercise, since the election schedule has already been announced now and that the nominations would begin soon.
Both the BJP and the Congress may announce most candidates over the next two to three days as nominations will begin on 27 December and last till 30 November. Sources in BJP as well as Congress admitted that the candidates on mayoral seats would be finalised by respective party high commands in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, on the seats which have been reserved for women, many outgoing municipal corporators and councillors are also learnt to be lobbying to get tickets for their spouses. A large number of ticket aspirants under various categories may also choose to contest as independents if they are denied party tickets from their respective parties since personal rapport with the voters is considered to matter more than allegiance to the party in the municipal elections.
