Chikkamagaluru’s draft panchayat reservation list has increased the number of zilla panchayat constituencies from 34 to 36 while reducing taluk panchayat constituencies from 108 to 100, with elections expected by the end of this year or early next year.
The draft notification, announced by the state government, reserves half of the 36 zilla panchayat seats for women. The list has been prepared using the 2011 Census and delimitation exercise, according to officials. Objections have been invited before the government issues the final notification.
Of the nine zilla panchayat seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, five have been earmarked for women. One of the two seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes is reserved for a woman. Among the six seats assigned to Backward Class-A, three are reserved for women, while the lone Backward Class-B seat is also reserved for a woman.
In the remaining general category, eight seats have been reserved for women. Taken together, the reservation structure means that 18 of the 36 zilla panchayat constituencies will be contested from seats reserved for women.
The draft list also reserves 54 of the 100 taluk panchayat seats for women. Of the 25 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, 14 are for women. All nine Scheduled Tribe seats have been reserved for women. Eight of the 11 Backward Class-A seats and the single Backward Class-B seat are also reserved for women. In the general category, 22 of the 54 seats are reserved for women.
The changes vary considerably across taluks. Chikkamagaluru taluk panchayat will continue to have 19 seats. Kadur’s allocation has been reduced from 24 seats to 20, while Tarikere’s has fallen from 19 to 11. Mudigere has been reduced from 12 seats to nine, Sringeri from 11 to seven, Narasimharajapura from 11 to seven and Koppa from 12 to nine.
The district’s two new taluk panchayats, Kalasa and Ajjampura, have been allotted seven and nine seats respectively. Their inclusion changes the distribution of representation across the district while the overall number of taluk panchayat constituencies falls from the earlier figure.
The reservation exercise will determine which constituencies are open to candidates from general, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Backward Class categories, as well as the constituencies reserved for women. The draft stage allows affected stakeholders and residents to submit objections before the final list is notified.
The long-pending panchayat elections are likely to be held by the end of the year or in the early part of next year, subject to completion of the reservation process and issuance of the final notification. The next formal milestone is the government’s consideration of objections and publication of the final reservation list.
