CHANDIGARH, Jan 20 — Several unauthorized colonies have been officially removed from the municipal ward lists as the city prepares for the December local body elections.
The Chandigarh administration confirmed that voters previously residing in these areas have been relocated, leading to the deletion of their entries from their former wards.
The areas affected by this update include Sanjay Colony, Janta Colony, Shahpur Colony, Adarsh Colony, and the furniture market in Sector 53. Previously, these colonies were situated on government land and fall within the boundaries of Wards 16, 24, 25, and 26.
Since the structures have been demolished, the administration has updated the electoral rolls to reflect the current geographical reality of the city.
“We have streamlined the ward lists to ensure that only existing residential areas are included,” an administration spokesperson said regarding the revisions.
The removal of these colonies comes as part of a broader administrative overhaul before the polling process begins. While the total count of wards stays at 35, the shift in voter distribution is expected to impact the demographic layout of the affected sectors.
In addition to the list revisions, the administration is moving forward with the reservation process. Nine wards will be allocated to women in the general category. These will be selected randomly from the pool of 28 wards not already designated for SC candidates.
The upcoming draw of lots in April will finalize the gender-based reservations for both general and SC categories.
Local parties are currently monitoring these updates closely, as the exclusion of certain colonies and the shifting reservation status of various wards will dictate where candidates choose to file their nominations.
