By announcing reservation list for wards, the state government has begun the process for holding municipal elections within couple of months. The draft notification for conducting the civic elections was published in the Karnataka Gazette on December 4 setting a week’s time for filing of objections. The notification covers the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) and other civic bodies in the district.
The Gazette notification is said to be an outcome of the reported order of the Karnataka High Court directing the government to submit the list of seat reservation matrix in urban local bodies before December 17 so as to facilitate holding of elections before the end of January 2013. Janata Dal (S) leader Ayub Khan had welcomed the HC order at a press meet on November 30 and said 209 urban local bodies including seven city corporations are to go to polls now as their tenure had ended. On their petition, the state’s apex court had directed the government on November 29 to submit seat reservation matrix before December 17 and complete the poll process before Janujary 31, 2013, including the election of heads of the local bodies.
A significant feature of the revision of ward reservation announced by the government is equal representation to women.
Out of 65 wards in MCC, 32 wards have been reserved for women - 17 for general candidates, nine wards for Backward Class (A), two for Backward Class (B), three wards for Scheduled Castes and one for Scheduled Tribes, all women. The remaining 33 seats, 17 wards have been reserved for general category candidates. Of the remaining 16 wards, nine wards are set apart for Backward Class (A), two for Backward Class (B), four for Scheduled Castes, and one for Scheduled Tribes.
Reservation of wards is also notified for city municipalities of Nanjangud, Bannur, Hunsur, and K.R.Nagar and town panchayats of T.Narasipur, Peeriyapatna, and H.D. Kote.
