The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to merge the Capital’s three municipal corporations, will be introduced by Union home minister Amit Shah in the Lok Sabha on Friday morning, according to the list of business issued by the Parliament on Thursday night.

The unified MCD, which will be “a single, integrated and well equipped entity”, will not have more than 250 wards, and a special officer may be appointed to oversee its functioning till the first meeting of the body is held, according to the statement of objects and reasons that was signed by the Union home minister on March 22, but made public late on Thursday evening.

Currently, the three MCDs have 272 wards.

The Bill also proposes that the number of seats of councillors and those reserved for Scheduled Caste members in the merged body will be determined by the central government through a notification in the official gazette, the statement of objects and reasons said.

The unified MCD was trifurcated into North Delhi Municipal Corporation, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation in 2012. The current terms of the three municipal bodies will expire between May 18 and 22.

On March 9, the state election commission deferred the announcement of the MCD elections schedule after the Centre sent a communication stating that it intends to merge the three civic bodies.

The Bill will come a day after Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal criticised the BJP for the using reunification of the North, East, and South municipal corporations as a “delaying tactic” to avoid the MCD polls, which were scheduled to be held this April.

“The nation won’t tolerate the drama they’re [the BJP] doing. They say they are the largest party in the world. We are the smallest. Still, they got scared! Largest party got scared of the smallest. Contest polls if you have courage,” Kejriwal said in the Delhi assembly on Thursday.

(With inputs from agencies)