Kolkata’s proposed expansion from 144 municipal wards to 209 has faced a legal challenge in the Calcutta High Court, putting the Bengal government’s delimitation exercise under scrutiny ahead of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections expected in November.
A city resident moved the court on Monday alleging that the proposed addition of 65 wards was being carried out in an unscientific manner and without following the prescribed legal procedure. The petitioner’s lawyer, Shamim Ahmed, sought permission to file the case before a vacation bench, arguing that the delimitation process was not being conducted in accordance with due process.
Justice Aryak Dutt granted permission for the petition to be filed. Ahmed said the matter was likely to be heard on Wednesday before the vacation bench of Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya. The court’s consideration could affect the timetable for finalising the new ward boundaries, although the supplied report does not indicate that any stay has been issued.
The proposed redrawing of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s electoral map comes as the state government prepares for civic elections that are likely to be held by the end of November. The exercise would create 65 additional wards and mark the first delimitation of KMC wards since 1984.
In August, the state government’s Urban Development and Municipal Affairs department issued a notice stating that the final list of newly constituted wards would be published after the relevant provision of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980, was amended. The notice forms part of the legal and administrative process through which the government is attempting to complete the ward reorganisation before the elections.
Ward delimitation determines the boundaries through which residents elect municipal representatives and shapes the administrative scale at which civic services are managed. Any change to the number and boundaries of wards therefore affects electoral representation as well as the organisation of local municipal administration. The petitioner’s allegations specifically question whether the current exercise meets the legal and procedural requirements for such a change.
The proposed expansion is also linked to the transition from the present administrator-run arrangement to an elected municipal board. A new board is expected to assume charge before the current arrangement ends on December 7. The government’s timeline consequently places the court proceedings, legal amendment, publication of the final ward list and the proposed election within a closely compressed period.
The next significant step is the expected hearing before Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya’s vacation bench on Wednesday. The final ward list and the election timetable remain linked to the progress of the delimitation exercise and the amendment to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980.