The State Election Fee (SEC) has knowledgeable the Supreme Courtroom that it’s going to maintain the native physique polls in two-three phases after monsoon. The apex court docket has been informed that the elections to the 20 municipal firms in Maharashtra may very well be performed in September-October, whereas 25 district councils, 284 panchayat samitis, and a couple of,000-odd gram panchayats may go to the polls in October-November.
The SEC submitted a contemporary schedule to the SC early this week. The court docket on Could 4 directed the ballot panel to start the election course of in two weeks.
The SEC has apprised the SC that the pre-poll course of, which incorporates formation of the wards, draw for reservation, and finalization of the electoral rolls, is at totally different phases and it’ll want a minimum of two extra months for its completion. The method was halted after the state authorities on March 11 amended the legal guidelines to remove the facility of the formation of the wards from the SEC.
“The SC in its March 4 ruling requested us to apprise it of the compliance of the order. We made the submission on Could 10, informing the court docket concerning the steps taken. It particularly directed us to renew the election course of inside two weeks. We, whereas apprising it of getting begun the method, made it clear that the precise conduct of the polls was not doable earlier than September. We additionally submitted an affidavit within the SC final month informing it that the elections couldn’t be held in the course of the monsoon,” an official from the SEC stated, requesting anonymity.
In its contemporary submission within the SC, the ballot panel has stated that the pre-poll course of for all the two,486 native our bodies is anticipated to be accomplished by the top of June or mid-July. It has said that the formation of wards in 14 municipal firms, together with Mumbai, Thane, and Kalyan-Dombivali, might be accomplished by Could 17, whereas the reservation course of in these our bodies might be accomplished by June 30. The formation of wards in 25 district councils and 284 panchayat samitis is anticipated to be accomplished by June 30, whereas the finalization of the reservation might be accomplished by July 31, the SEC has stated.
It has informed the apex court docket that the SEC needs to carry the elections in two-three phases – first section for the city our bodies in September-October and second section for the agricultural our bodies in October-November. “It could not be doable for us to conduct the elections in the course of the heavy monsoon months of July and August for logistical points, together with flooding, transportation, and deployment of employees for flood management measures.”
“The identical units of officers within the rank of deputy collectors appointed as returning officers are required to carry the elections for the city and rural our bodies. Due to the restricted variety of digital voting machines accessible with the SEC, these machines must be utilized in all phases. The polls additionally have to be held in phases for the comfort of the deployment of police personnel,” the SEC said within the submission.
Twenty municipal firms, together with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Company and the civic our bodies in Pune, Thane, Nagpur, and Navi Mumbai, 25 district councils, 285 panchayat samitis, 210 nagar panchayats, and greater than 2,000 gram panchayats are both due or going to be due for polls within the subsequent couple of months.
,
