EC likely to allow polls to 9 legislative council seats in Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission is likely to allow polls to be held to 9 legislative council seats in Maharashtra at the earliest, giving chief minister Uddhav Thackeray an opportunity to become an MLC within the six-month deadline for being elected to either Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad.
The EC, sources said, will take a call on the likely poll schedule at a meeting on Friday morning.CEC Sunil Arora, who is currently in the US, will join the meeting with the other two election commissioners via video-conferencing. A minimum 21-day period between announcement and polling is needed, and a schedule may be announced immediately so that polls are completed well before May 27.





Sources said EC has, as a matter of consistent policy, always provided an opportunity to the person appointed as minister, who is not a member of the appropriate legislature at the time of his appointment, to fulfil the constitutional requirement and at the same time allow the electorate to give its verdict in relation to his appointment as minister, by holding a bye-election within six months of assumption of office of the person concerned.

The Commission’s decision to deliberate on holding Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha polls follows separate requests from Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP and Maharashtra governor to schedule the Legislative council polls immediately to enable their completion well before May 27, by when the chief minister is Constitutionally required to be elected to either of the two Houses to continue in office.
Interestingly, the Maharashtra chief secretary, in his letter sent to EC on Thursday, put his stamp of approval over holding of the legislative council polls, which were earlier deferred by EC in view of Covid-19 pandemic.
“In Maharashtra we have put in place various measures to control the pandemic and are working rigorously to contain and mitigate the spread. We now thus feel that election as mentioned could be held, in a safe environment,” stated chief secretary Ajoy Mehta. He added that the state government was committed to ensuring that the elections were free and fair, held in total hygienic conditions with social distancing measures and other conditions which may be imposed by the competent authorities.
While citing that home ministry has already allowed movement of migrant labourers, pilgrims, tourists and students due to lockdown orders, Mehta shared an exhaustive list of measures taken by the state health department to contain Corona virus.
“In view of the conditions now prevailing and the commitment of the state government to follow all protocols and directions, I would, therefore, request you to direct all concerned to take effective steps for the conduct of the said elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council,” Mehta wrote to EC.
All the three ruling parties of Maharashtra that wrote to EC on Thursday — Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP — insisted that holding of legislative council polls before May 27 was necessary to ensure that the state continues to have a stable government. “Our Constitution contemplates continuation of a stable Government for which every effort ought to be made by every authority, especially the Constitutional authority, including, but not limited to, the Election Commission of India,” Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said in his letter to EC.