WEB DESK
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today reversed the previous MVA government’s decision to increase the number of wards in Mumbai’s civic body from 227 to 236.
While Congress and Samajwadi Party supported the amendment; NCP and Uddhav Thackeray faction spoke against it. Congress MLA Amin Patel and Samajwadi Party MLA Raees Sheikh said the Uddhav Thackeray-led government’s decision to increase the number of wards and the resulting delimitation exercise was done so as to benefit a particular party, adding that the decision was not in the interest of Mumbaikars.
Meanwhile, responding to Aditya Thackeray’s comment calling the amendment bill unconstitutional, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reiterated that numbers and rule of law are important in a democracy. Mr. Shinde said an increase in the number of wards may be considered once the 2021 census figures are in.
Stating that close to 900 complaints were received from various quarters against the decision to increase the number of wards, Mr. Shinde said an inquiry will be conducted by the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau to examine why the previous government made this decision.