NAGPUR: Nine months after commencement of municipal elections-2022 process, aspirants vying tickets under male and general category will on Tuesday come to know whether they can try their luck or pull out. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is conducting draw for reserved seats from 10am at Suresh Bhat auditorium.
Municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B will preside over the draw and declare 78 (50%) of total 156 seats for women, including 16 for Scheduled Castes (SC) and six for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Unlike the last civic polls, there will be no OBC reservation this time.
Radhakrishnan told TOI that NMC is all set to complete this process successfully as per guidelines prescribed by the state election commission (SEC). “SEC has already announced wards to be reserved for SC, ST, both categories and general. Process to declare seats reserved for women will be conducted on Tuesday,” he said.
Senior former corporator Sunil Agrawal said, “Reservation process is the deciding day for many male and general category aspirants. Persons coming under general category cannot contest on seat-A of 31 wards that will be reserved for SC. Similarly, they have no chance on seat-B of 12 wards reserved for ST. One of the three seats in each ward will be general, so parties can give one ticket under general category in 52 wards and some other wards,” he said.
According to Agrawal, parties will have a difficult time finding women candidates for seats reserved for SC and ST. “It will be a tough fight in case a strong general category candidate cannot contest due to caste reservation or women’s reservation on two of the three seats in a ward,” he said.
As per NMC officials, 31 seats reserved for women will be announced first. All be seat-A. Of them, draw will be conducted for 16 SC seats and remaining 15 seats will automatically become general.
Similarly, 12 seat-B will be reserved for ST. Draw for six will be held for women and remaining will become general.
Draw for 56 seats to be reserved for women will be held on seat-A of 21 wards and seat-B of 40 wards.
Two seats in eight wards — 4, 10, 12, 13, 16, 20, 37 and 51 — are already reserved for SC and ST. After the draw, two seats in 26 wards will be reserved for women.
Radhakrishnan said, “We sent letters to all political parties to send their representatives for the draw. All are welcome subject to seats availability in the hall. Lots will be kept in a transparent bowl and each and every process will be done in a transparent manner. Video recording of entire process will be done,” he said.
The civic chief will issue gazette notification of all seats on Wednesday. People can submit suggestions and objections between June 1 and 6. After hearing them, SEC will issue final gazette notification on June 13.
Draw for reserved seats will be the last process before declaration of code of conduct for municipal elections.
As per schedule, elections were supposed to be held in February followed by election of new mayor on or before March 4. Due to OBC reservation dispute, Covid-19 and revision in ward system, number of corporators etc, elections got delayed.
Administrator is running the civic body since March 5 as tenure of corporators ended up on March 4.
