Chandigarh, Sept. 12 -- The state election commissioner on Friday rejigged the wards reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates and women, which is set to force parties to rework their existing blueprints and come up with fresh strategies just three months ahead of the municipal corporation (MC) elections slated for December. Out of total 35 wards, the number of wards reserved for each category remains the same as the previous elections - seven for SC candidates, including three SC women, and nine for women of the general category. The fresh reservations were decided through a draw of lots, in keeping with the rotation policy to ensure that reservation does not remain locked in one area forever. After the exercise carried out in the presence of representatives of various parties, Wards 1, 3, 4, 9, 15, 29 and 32 were reserved for SC candidates, out of which, Wards 3, 29 and 32 are exclusively for SC women. Wards 2, 8, 11, 13, 17, 21, 25, 26 and 30 are reserved for women of the general category. The remaining 19 - Wards 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 31, 33, 34 and 35 - have been declared general category wards and any candidate, irrespective of gender or caste, can contest. The wards reserved for SC candidates were determined in descending order, based on the highest percentage of SC population in each ward, as per the published Census 2011 data. The seven wards reserved for SC candidates during the 2021 MC elections were excluded from the exercise. The proceedings were presided over by the state election commissioner Vijay Dev....