The State Election Commission of Delhi has put on hold preparations for the municipal corporation polls, that were due to be held in April, after the Centre notified the DMC (Amendment) Act, 2022, to merge the three civic bodies.
State Election Commissioner of Delhi SK Srivastava, before his retirement on Wednesday, issued a notification to stop the preparatory steps for the civic body polls. He also rescinded various notifications issued earlier by the commission for the appointment of electoral officers for the civic body polls.
"....pursuant to the enactment of 'The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022,' whereby the three municipal corporations in Delhi have ceased to exist and have been replaced by a unified single Municipal Corporation, I, S.K Srivastava, state election commissioner ...do hereby keep on hold all preparatory steps for the conduct of general election to three municipal corporations of Delhi, and rescind the notifications with immediate effect..," the notification read.
The notifications now rescinded by the commission include those issued for the appointment of electoral registration officers-cum-returning officers for the wards of the three corporations, district election officer for the wards, observers and other officials for the municipal corporation polls.
Mr Srivastava had in March deferred the announcement of dates for the municipal corporation polls, amid a press conference, saying he had received a communication from the Centre. He had said the Centre was planning unification of the North, East and South Delhi Municipal Corporations.
Vijay Dev on Thursday took charge as the new state election commissioner of Delhi. He took voluntary retirement as the chief secretary of the Delhi government on April 20.
Elections to the three corporations were last held on April 23, 2017. The five-year term of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation will end on May 18, South Delhi Municipal Corporation a day later and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation on May 22.
The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022, lays down bringing down the existing number of 272 wards to 250. It will require ward redrawing exercise that is expected to delay the civic body polls for several months, officials said.
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