Thiruvananthapuram; The wards in all Local Self Government Institutions (LSGI) across the state will be delimited prior to the upcoming local body elections in October next year.

This process is anticipated to result in an increase in the number of wards, potentially reaching up to 1200. To endorse the ordinance proposing the addition of one more ward to each LSGI in accordance with population proportions, a special meeting of the state cabinet is scheduled for Monday.

Currently, there are approximately 21,900 elected representatives spread across the 1,200 local bodies in the state. After the delimitation process, this figure will increase by another 1,200.

In Grama Panchayats, wards are constituted at a ratio of one for every 1000 people. However, with the state's population on the rise, ward delimitation is underway. Presently, there are around 15,962 wards across 941 Gram Panchayats in the state. Following the delimitation process, up to 941 additional wards will be added to this count.

The 87 municipalities, excluding Mattannur, currently have a total of 3,078 wards, while the six corporations boast 414 wards. The delimitation will append one more ward to each of these civic bodies.

The delimitation of wards in Mattannur has already been conducted earlier. Among the 152 block panchayats in the state, there are 2,080 wards, and the 14 district panchayats are divided into 331 divisions.