New ward structure in Kerala panchayats: Rise in representatives and women's reservation

Thiruvananthapuram: The number of wards in the three-tier panchayats has been revised as part of the division of local body wards. The previous count of 15,962 wards across 941 gram panchayats will now increase to 17,337, with the number of gram panchayats rising to 1,375. This revision has been made in proportion to the population, ahead of the upcoming local body elections, and the boundaries will be redefined accordingly.

In addition to the gram panchayats, the number of wards in the 152 block panchayats has also been revised. Previously, there were 2,080 wards; now, the count has risen by 187 to reach 2,267. In the case of the 14 district panchayats, two divisions have been added in Thiruvananthapuram and one in each of the other districts. Earlier, the total number of divisions stood at 331, which has now increased to 346.

The rise in the number of wards will result in an increase in the number of people’s representatives. It is notable that 50 percent of the seats will be reserved for women. Furthermore, the number of reserved wards for women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has also been finalised.

With this increase in the number of wards, the redistricting commission is now set to engage in delimitation discussions to formalise the new boundaries.