The reservation lottery for 227 electoral wards in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections is expected to be held at the end of October, following the completion of zilla parishad and municipal council reservations. The much-anticipated BMC polls are likely to take place in mid-January, ahead of the Supreme Court’s extended deadline of January 31.
### Final Notification of Ward Boundaries
The BMC will publish the final notification of the 227 electoral ward boundaries on Monday, October 6. Earlier this month, citizens’ suggestions and objections on the draft ward demarcations were heard and subsequently sent to the state urban development department (UDD) for further processing.
### Zilla Parishad Lottery Scheduled for October 13
The State Election Commission (SEC) has announced that the lottery for 32 zilla parishads and 336 panchayat samitis will be held on October 13, with official notifications issued on October 10. Citizens will have the opportunity to submit objections and suggestions between October 14 and 17. Following this, the final notification is scheduled to be published on November 3.
### Municipal Corporations Reservations and Lotteries to Follow
Once the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti reservations are finalized, lotteries for municipal councils and corporations — including the BMC — will be conducted. Political parties anticipate these lotteries will take place at the end of October or early November, allowing them ample time to finalize candidates and begin campaigning for the elections.
In the last lottery held in 2022, the number of wards was revised to 236. However, the Supreme Court directed that the elections must proceed with the earlier count of 227 wards, as was the case in 2017, including reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBC).
### Stepwise Reservation Lottery Process
The lottery process will be conducted in phases. It will begin with reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), followed by Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations. Additionally, 50% of the seats will be reserved for women, upholding the commitment to women’s reservation in civic bodies.
### Looking Ahead to the January 2025 Civic Polls
With these processes underway, the BMC elections are set to be a significant event in Maharashtra’s 2025 civic polls calendar. The adherence to the Supreme Court deadline and the systematic reservation lottery reflect the state’s efforts to ensure a fair and transparent electoral process.
Stay tuned for more updates on the BMC elections 2025, reservation lottery, and related developments from the State Election Commission (SEC).
https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-news-bmc-election-reservation-lottery-for-227-electoral-wards-likely-in-october-end
