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Mahé municipality is the seat of local administration of the Mahé Region which belongs to the Union Territory of Puducherry. Mahé Municipality has been in existence for more than 200 years since its establishment under the French Regime. Mahé Municipal area comprises 9 km with a single Assembly Constituency. The last Mayor and the first Chairman of this municipality was Late. V. N. Purushothaman. Municipal Council was not in existence with effect from 1978. Thereafter the Regional Administrator, Mahé / Regional Executive Officer, Mahé used to exercise the power of the chairman and Vice-chairman in the capacity of special officer of Mahé Municipal Council. After 1978, an elected Municipal Council was only in power during 2006–11.

Wards of Mahé Municipality

Mahé Municipality consisted of 15 wards till 2021. These 15 wards were used for the 2006 municipal elections. They were:

Mahé Pocket

• Manjakkal (W)
• Choodikotta
• Parakkal (W)
• Valavil (W)
• Mundock

Cherukallayi Pocket

• Cherukallayi (W)

Naluthara Pocket

• Chalakkara (Chalakkara (South))
• Chembra (Chalakkara (North))
• Palloor (South-West) (W)
• Palloor (South-East)
• Palloor (North-West)
• Palloor (North-East)
• Pandakkal (South)
• Pandakkal (Centre)
• Pandakkal (North)

Present situation

Civic election were held during 2006 after nearly 30 years. The chairman and the vice-chairman of Mahé Municipality were Ramesh Parambath and P.P. Vinodan. The chairman and the fifteen councillors of Mahé Municipality were sworn in July 2006.

The councillors were:

• A.P. Sheeja
• P.P. Vinodan (Vice-chairman)
• P. Karthiyayani
• Pallian Pramod
• Sainaba
• Sathyan Keloth
• K.V. Shobha
• Uthaman Thittayil
• P.T.C. Shobha
• E.V. Narayanan
• Arikulath M.P. Basheer
• Kannipoyil Babu
• Vadakkan Janardhanan
• T.K. Gangadharan
• K.V. Mohanan

Since 2011

Fresh local body elections were not held in 2011 due to political issues and legal battles. Although there were some moves to conduct elections, they were thwarted by legal disputes or political infighting. The crisis became worse during the time of the 2016-21 Congress government when Kiran Bedi IPS (Retd.) was the Lt. Governor of Puducherry. The Supreme Court of India had ordered the Government to conduct polls in 2018. But polls didn't take place. And in 2019, the Lt. Governor didn't accept the Government's choice for the State Election Commissioner. Instead, the Governor appointed a retired IFS officer, Roy P. Thomas as the State Election Commissioner. Legal and political battles on many issues like delimitation continued till 2021.

In 2021, a Contempt petition was filed in the Supreme Court against the State Election Commission (SEC) for not holding local body elections.

The Supreme Court heard the case and pronounced its verdict on 5 April 2021. The Court ordered that the State Government and the SEC should complete delimitation of wards, consider grievances from the people and hold the polls within four months of completing delimitation. It is widely expected that local body elections will be held between August and September.

Municipal wards in Mahé were determined on the basis of the 2011 Census. Contrary to normal practice across India, Mahé had its municipal wards reduced from the earlier 15 to 10 despite registering a growth in the population between the 2001 and 2011 Censuses. The State Election Commission released the final delimitation report in June 2021.

Mahé Municipal wards from 2021 (based on the 2011 census):

References

1. "Mahe District Website". mahe.gov.in.
2. "Pondicherry Civic Elections 2006- Results". 14 July 2006. Archived from the original on 14 July 2006. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
3. "SC directs Pondy govt to hold local body polls". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
4. Tripathi, Rahul. "Pressure building up on Puducherry government to hold local body elections". The Economic Times. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
5. "Puducherry Lieutenant Governor welcomes SEC appointment, said local body elections soon". The Hindu. 22 October 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
6. "Narayanasamy refutes Modi's charge over local body polls". The Hindu. 29 December 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
7. "HC dismisses Puducherry Ministers PIL against Bedis decision". www.outlookindia.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
8. www.ETGovernment.com. "Puducherry to hold local body polls after 10 years following SC order - ET Government". ETGovernment.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
9. Bosco Dominique (9 April 2021). "SC orders Puducherry local body polls within six months; can't brook further delay, it says | Puducherry News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
10. Varma, M. Dinesh (22 June 2021). "Electoral rolls for civic polls in U.T. to be published on June 28". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
11. "Demography | Mahe | India". Retrieved 30 June 2021.
12. "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
13. "G.O.Ms.No.15- 16 - 17 Delimitation of Municipal/Commune Panchayat/ Village Panchayat Wards - Notification | Official Website of Local Administration Department, Government of Puducherry, India". lad.py.gov.in. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
14. "G.O.Ms.No.15- 16 - 17 Delimitation of Municipal/Commune Panchayat/ Village Panchayat Wards - Notification | Official Website of Local Administration Department, Government of Puducherry, India". lad.py.gov.in. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
15. "Mahe Ward Maps | Official Website of Local Administration Department, Government of Puducherry, India". lad.py.gov.in. Retrieved 30 June 2021.

External links

• Mahé Municipality at the Mahé Administration website
• Local Administration Department, Government of Puducherry - Official website
• State Election Commission, Government of Puducherry - Official website

• Municipalities of Puducherry
• Mahe district
• 1978 disestablishments in India