Ahead of the ward reservation draw for the municipal corporation elections scheduled for September 11, the greatest attention is focused on the wards likely to be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and women.
Based on the ward-wise SC population percentage from the 2011 Census and the rotation policy for reservations, Wards 1, 3, 4, 9, 15, 29, and 32 are at the top of the list of potential wards for SC reservation.
Of these seven SC wards, three will be reserved for SC women in the September 11 draw, while the remaining four will be open to candidates (male or female) from the SC category.
**Why these wards are likely to be reserved**
Wards 1, 3, 4, 9, 15, 29, and 32 are being viewed as potential SC wards because the seven wards reserved for SCs in 2021 have been excluded this time under the rotation policy.
In 2021, Wards 7, 16, 19, 24, 26, 28, and 31 were reserved for the SC category. Among them, Wards 16, 19, and 28 were reserved for SC women.
According to the established reservation formula, instead of reserving the same wards for SCs in consecutive elections, the opportunity is given to other wards based on the percentage of the SC population. **12 wards will also be reserved for women**
A total of 12 out of the 35 wards will be reserved for women. These will comprise three wards for SC women and nine for women from the general category. Many male politicians will have to field their wives as candidates. In the past, leaders like Devinder Babla fielded their wives—in his case, Harpreet Kaur Babla—after their wards became reserved for women. These councilors may have to look for new wards.
In Ward 1, the incumbent is AAP councilor Jaswinder Kaur (General Category). For BJP councilor Dalip Sharma in Ward 3, reservation rules threaten to halt his winning streak; he will need to seek a new political base. Ward 4 is currently held by Suman Sharma, who assumed the post of Deputy Mayor after switching from AAP to the BJP; she, too, will have to fight to secure a ticket from a new ward.
Ward 9 is represented by BJP councilor Bimla Dubey. She had contested from Ward 9 in 2021 because Ward 7 was reserved at the time; now, she may have to leave Ward 9 and could potentially return to Ward 7. AAP councilor Ramchandra Yadav faces mounting difficulties in Ward 15 and may need to look elsewhere for a ticket.
Munnavar, who became a councilor on an AAP ticket from Ward 29, has since joined the Congress; his party switch is reportedly driven by the need to find a ticket in a new area due to reservation norms. Finally, Ward 32 is represented by BJP councilor and Senior Deputy Mayor Jasmanpreet Singh; if this ward becomes reserved, he will also have to look for a different ward to contest from.
