Vasu Potnuru Visakhapatnam

TheGreater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is gearing up for the ensuing municipal elections, with officials directed to keep all arrangements ready well in advance so that the poll exercise can be conducted smoothly soon after the notification is issued. However, uncertainty continues over whether the elections will be held with the proposed 120 wards or the existing 98 wards, as the proposed delimitation is currently before the court. The state government decided to complete local body elections across Andhra Pradesh at the earliest, with the urban local body elections expected to be conducted first, followed by mandal and zilla parishad elections and subsequently gram panchayat polls.

The government is reportedly aiming to complete the entire process by the end of October, with the elections also paving the way for receiving funds from the Central government. The government has further decided that mayors and municipal chairpersons will be elected directly by the people.

In line with the government’s decision, GVMC authorities have intensified preparations for the municipal polls. The town planning department had earlier released a draft proposal to increase the number of GVMC wards from the existing 98 to 120 and invited objections and suggestions from the public. The process of receiving objections has already been completed and officials are compiling them to prepare a comprehensive report for submission to the municipal administration and urban development department.

The proposed delimitation, however, ran into legal hurdles after a Public Interest Litigation was filed in the High Court, resulting in a stay on the process. This has temporarily brought the ward reorganisation exercise to a halt.

If the court clears the proposed delimitation, GVMC is likely to proceed with elections comprising 120 wards. If the existing arrangement continues, preparations will be made to conduct polls with the earlier 98 wards. To ensure there is no delay under either scenario, officials have been instructed to collect and update all essential electoral data for both the configurations.

GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg directed officials to make advance preparations by determining the population, number of voters and polling stations for each of the proposed 120 wards, while simultaneously keeping similar details ready for the existing 98-ward arrangement. He stressed that the election machinery should be prepared to adapt to whichever ward structure is finally approved.

The Commissioner instructed officials to carefully study all orders and guidelines issued by the state government and the State Election Commission and formulate a comprehensive plan for conducting the GVMC elections in accordance with the prescribed procedures. He directed the Chief City Planner and Zonal Commissioners to thoroughly examine the objections and grievances received in connection with the proposed expansion and delimitation of wards and consider appropriate action according to the rules.

The Zonal Commissioners have also been instructed to prepare polling station-wise electoral rolls and accurately record the number of voters attached to each polling station.

With the state government keen on completing the local body elections in the stipulated time frame, GVMC officials are now working on poll preparedness.