Following a schedule set by the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in West Bengal, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has begun a major delimitation process. It proposes raising the number of municipal wards from 144 to 200. On July 10, the KMC formed the Central Delimitation Committee and Borough Delimitation Committees for its 16 boroughs to revise electoral boundaries ahead of polls expected in December. After Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim resigned as mayor on June 5, the state government dissolved the KMC board and named Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey as administrator until new elections. The central committee must submit recommendations to the administrator by July 27. The BJP administration describes the exercise as a correction of demographic imbalances. Opposition parties view it as an effort to gain control of the KMC from the TMC, which has faced recent losses and defections. The TMC won 134 of 144 wards in the 2021 elections, while the BJP secured three. Officials propose adding 56 new wards without changing the number of boroughs. BJP sources cite uneven population growth, with stagnant numbers in North Kolkata and increases in South and East Kolkata areas such as Garia, Joka and Kasba. Some wards now have nearly 80,000 voters while others have around 12,000. The goal is to limit each ward to an average of 16,000-18,000 voters. Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh called the change necessary for balanced administration. Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul noted the process requires detailed population data. Officials said the changes will affect several minority-dominated wards by splitting them to achieve voter parity, a move the opposition criticises as an attempt to reduce minority voting strength in specific boroughs.
