Delhi MCD polls: State Election Commission to announce dates at 4 PM today

NEW DELHI: The State Election Commission is likely to announce the dates and full schedule of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections 2022 on Friday evening. According to reports, the Delhi State Election Commission will be holding a press conference at 4 pm in which the polls are likely to be announced. ​The MCD election was earlier postponed as the Central Government wanted to carry out the delimitation exercise.

Sources said the election may be held in December along with the Gujarat polls or a week later.

The model code of conduct will also come into force from the day the poll dates are declared, said sources. The State EC has reserved and delimited the wards. Before delimitation, the MCD had 272 wards which have now been reduced to 250, wherein the polls will be held.

The EC has appointed Returning Officers and has taken the objections and suggestions of the public as well as political parties into consideration, by setting up polling booths at the ward level.

The three major contestants -- the BJP, the AAP and the Congress -- have started working on their strategies and candidate selection for the polls to 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Of the 250 wards, there are many that were earlier reserved for women and Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates. Delimitation has also affected the voter composition of wards.

Meanwhile, the Assembly elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The votes will be counted on December 8, along with the counting in Himachal Pradesh which will go to polls on November 12.