Delhi: administrative structure
This article has been sourced from an authoritative, official readers who wish to update or add further details can do so on a ‘Part II’ of this article. |
Contents |
2015: Council of Ministers, Delhi government
Chief Ministers: Delhi
CM promises to consult `experienced' opposition
Feb 15 2015
Exactly a year after his government resigned following a tumultuous 49day stint in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal took oath as chief minister. Far from being a man in hurry -as he clearly was last time -he pledged to serve Delhi for five years, described himself as “sabka CM“ and promised to rid the city of corruption. And for completing this “mission“, he warned his party against ahankaar (arrogance), saying they had been punished when with 28 seats in Delhi, they set out to contest across the country in last year's Lok Sabha polls.
Acutely conscious of the massive mandate given to his party by Delhi -67 out of 70 seats, which he described as a “miracle“ and “god's message“ -Kejriwal assured Delhiites that this time he was going to be around for five years.
“Since Delhi's people have given me love and they have put faith in me, for the next five years I will live in Delhi and only serve the people of the city ,“ he said. Acknowledging the contribution of every strata, community and caste in AAP's win, Kejriwal said: “People of every religion have voted for Aam Aadmi; Hindus, Muslims, Chris tians, Sikhs, Jains, all voted for AAP, people of every caste voted, the poor voted in large numbers, the rich also voted.“
Describing himself as everyone's CM, Kejriwal referred to even those who didn't vote for AAP. “We consider the MLAs of the three constituencies that we did not win our own. I have seen some parties do booth-wise analysis after the election results and identify booths that did not yield votes for that party . For us, the entire Delhi is our booth. We have to serve the entire city,“ he said.
Speaking on his resolve to eradicate corruption, he said he, too, was wracked by doubts during the Anna agitation whether India would ever become corruption-free.But AAP managed to achieve that in its 49 days in government, he said. “Last time, before forming a government, there was zest, passion and romanticism in us, a craze to remove corruption from the country , but today...we have the confidence that in five years we will be able to rid Delhi of corruption.“
Repeating his message of December 28, 2013 when he had taken oath as CM for the first time, he said if someone demanded a bribe, people shouldn't refuse to pay . They should do a “setting“, record everything and hand it over to him. He promised strict action. In this context, he announced revival of the anticorruption helpline soon.
With close aide and now deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia standing by him through his almost 30-minute long speech, Kejriwal warned his party of a fate like that of Congress or BJP if they allowed themselves to become arrogant after the stupendous performance in the Delhi election. “When one gets such a victory , one can become arrogant. And if one gets arrogant, then everything is lost,“ he said. That is why all of us have to be on guard. We will constantly have to introspect to ensure that we do not get arrogant. Already I can see some amount of arrogance has crept inside us. People voted out Congress and BJP because they had become arrogant.“
At an open air ceremony at Ramlila Maidan, an important venue for the AAP leader who not only took his first oath as CM here but also rose to prominence after his anti-corruption dharna here with Anna Hazare, Kejriwal addressed a mammoth crowd of over a lakh. In a celebration of democracy witnessed rarely in India, thousands of AAP supporters from across the country had turned up. Shouts of `Bharat mata ki jai and `paanch saal Kejriwal' reverberated in the air.
Striking a conciliatory note -he had told the PM he wanted “constructive and positive cooperation“ -Kejriwal disarmed even his political rivals by saying that the government would like to benefit from the expertise and experience of BJP and Congress CM candidates, Kiran Bedi and Ajay Maken respectively . “I respect Kiran Bediji a lot. Victory and defeat are fallouts of an elec tion. Kiranji is like my elder sister. She has experience in police and administration. We will take her along and will take her guidance from time to time,“ he said. He said Maken had a long experience in policy making and governance and his guidance would also be sought. After the ceremony , he was seen warmly hugging BJP MLA and former state BJP chief Vijender Gupta.
Leaving no one in any doubt that statehood was a priority with him, he said he told the PM: “We have a majority in Delhi and he has a majority at the Centre. If both agree that Delhi should get full statehood, then Delhi will indeed get it. I also told him that as PM, he has too much on his plate. Leave the task of running Delhi to Delhi government. He should run the country .“
The trials of the past year have evidently taught Kejriwal some important lessons, one of them being practicality . Battling controversies over his house and mode of travel within the city , largely because of the numerous promises his party had made before the previous election, Kejriwal clarified that as CM he would need an big office to meet people, a vehicle for government work and house to live in.
The CM has also promised an end to VIP culture and passing of Jan Lokpal Bill and sent out a special request to traders that while they wouldn't be hounded by government agencies, they should pay their taxes regularly .
Assembly constituencies, municipal wards
2016: Draft delimitation of wards
See graphics:
The draft delimitation of Delhi’s municipal wards proposed by the state election commission
Delimitation of assembly constituencies. North Corporation, South Corporation and East Corporation, January 19, 2017
2022
Vibha Sharma, Oct 20, 2022: The Times of India
From: Vibha Sharma, Oct 20, 2022: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: The final delimitation report, notified by the Union ministry of home affairs on Tuesday, focused on moderating the population variation in various wards. Officials associated with the exercise said efforts had been made to bring all wards within the population range of 40,000-90,000.
"Given that the majority of the objections by political parties and residents after the draft delimitation report were related with disparities in distribution of population in the wards, we tried to bridge the differences," said an official privy to the matter.
"For example, the Chandni Chowk ward which had the smallest population of 35,509 has now been expanded to 51,672. In the Laxmi Nagar ward, population has increased from 35,684 to 47,859, in Sri Ram Colony, from 42,819 to 83,347 and in Siddharth Nagar, from 42,629 to 52,058."
In the process, the population has reduced in many wards. Mayur Vihar I ward now has 88,878 voters instead of 93,381, Trilokpuri 88,792 instead of 91,991, Sangam Vihar A 73,215 rather than 89,899 and Harsh Vihar, 78,698 in place of 87,009.
In the final report, the population in the wards ranges from 40,000 to 90,000.
The delimitation panel has also tried to remove the islands created in wards after redrawing the boundaries. "In the draft report, people objected to colonies and areas haphazardly added to other wards, with the possibility of hindering development work in a proportionate manner in the future. To resolve the issue, we reworked the boundaries and tried to remove such islands," said the official.
Around 15 name-change approvals have been granted in the notified report. Kanjhawala was named as Karala ward in the draft report, but the original name has been retained in the final report. Among the changes, Krishna Vihar ward's name has now become Pooth Kalan, Nihal Vihar is Jawalapuri, Naresh Park is Nangloi Jat and Nangloi Jat changed to Nihal Vihar.
With the Union home ministry's gazette notification, the delimitation of the reduced number of wards in the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi has ended. "The central government, after careful consideration of all aspects, hereby determines the extent of each of the 250 wards as composed within the MCD," stated the gazette notification released by the ministry.
The Centre had constituted a delimitation committee on July 8, and it completed its task in preparing the draft delimitation order and submitted its report to the central government on August 25. The draft delimitation order was published on September 12 and put on the website of Delhi's State Election Commission for public suggestions and objections till October 3. In total, 1,720 suggestions and objections were received, examined and amendments made on reasonable grounds.
Meanwhile, the State Election Commission issued a list of 68 electoral registration officers-cum-returning officers for the 68 assembly constituencies. "In pursuance to the powers conferred under Section 7B of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, Vijay Dev, state election commissioner, hereby appoints election registration officers for the 250 wards of MCD," the notification said.
