Process of appointing co-opted members gains momentum

Aurangabad, Oct 21:

It has been more than a year and a half since the end of the term of the Aurangabad Cantonment Board (ACB). As elections will not be held for another year, the council will now appoint a co-opted member from the citizens.

The administration has given impetus to the process. The names of adv Prashant Targe and Padmashri Jaiswal are said to be in the lead. The elections are held every five years for the 7 wards of the ACB. Accordingly, the council had started preparations for the elections in February 2019. The process of ward formation and reservation was completed. But the process was delayed due to the objections raised by few members.

The members were given an extension of six months. Despite the expiration of this term, no order was received from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) regarding the elections. Hence all the members were again given another six month extension. The board also continued preparations for the elections. But as there was no development, an administrator was appointed on the board. If the elections are again delayed, a co-opted member is appointed from among the citizens as per the rules of the board. This process was halted due to coronavirus. The reduction of Covid-19 has accelerated the process.