For official use only

Municipal Election
MANUAL

West Bengal State Election Commission

1998

CONTENTS
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.

Introduction
Personnel
Delimitation of Constituencies
Reservation
Electoral Roll

APPENDICES
The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, Extracts
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, Extracts
Extracts from the Indian Penal Code
Extracts from the Representation of the People Act, 1951
Extracts from the West Bengal Municipal Act, 1993
The West Bengal State Election Commission Act, 1994
The West Bengal Municipal Elections Act, 1994
The West Bengal Municipal Elections (Reservation of Seats)
Rules, 1994
The West Bengal Municipal Elections (Registration of Electors)
Rules, 1995
The West Bengal Municipalities (Conduct of Elections) Rules, 1995

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INTRODUCTION
The law and procedures relating to elections in general have undergone changes
from time to time. The laws regulating elections to municipalities, essentially based
on the guiding principles laid down in the Representation of the People Act, 1951,
have also been subjected to minor changes over time.
With the introduction of the Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act,
1992, however, there has been a sea change in the municipal election procedure. In
keeping with the provisions of the Constitutional amendment, the West Bengal
State Election Commission was constituted under the West Bengal State Election
Commission Act, 1994. Drastic changes in the municipal election rules have since
followed and the West Bengal Municipal Elections Act, 1994 has been introduced
replacing the earlier West Bengal Municipal Election Rules, 1975 and a number
of similar rules for individual municipal corporations. Several rules have since
been promulgated under the West Bengal Municipal Elections Act, 1994.
The present volume intends to serve as a compendium for those responsible for
implementation of the provisions of the new and the revised statutes and rules
framed thereunder.

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