According to an Ordinance titled “The Maharashtra Municipal Corporations and Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Township (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016” issued by Governor, now NMC will have 37 Prabhags and 149 wards.
Nagpur: With Maharashtra Government issuing an extraordinary notification, it has become clear the next election of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will be conducted in a Prabhag of four Corporators. As such, NMC will have 37 Prabhags and the total number of corporators would be 149. The election is slated in February, 2017. The Governor of Maharashtra has issued an extraordinary notification in this regard. The Ordinance is titled as “The Maharashtra Municipal Corporations and Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Township (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016”.
Now, the NMC will be having a Prabhag of four corporators and only one Prabhag will have five. Thus the 149 seats will be divided into 37 Prabhags with 36 Prabhags will have four members and one Prabhag will have five members.
At presently, the local body has two-member Prabhag. In 2001. Now, the State Government has again amended existing provisions of Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act to introduce multi-member ward system. The notification stated- “It is proposed to provide that, each of the wards of the Municipal Corporation shall elect, as far as possible four Corporators but not less than three and not more than five Corporators. The voters will cast four votes and five votes in one Prabhag.”
In case of Municipal Council, each ward of a Municipal Council shall elect two councillors but not more than three councillors. The State Government has also proposed direct election of President of a municipal council. The notification stated that the President of a municipal council shall be elected by the voters of the council at the general election of the council. However, such provision would not apply in respect of the Nagar Panchayats and the system in vogue, in respect of the presidents of the Nagar Panchayats shall continue to apply, the Ordinance said.