SEC announced time schedule for 4 Nagar Panchayats and 92 Nagar Parishads elections on August 18.
Nagpur: Senior BJP leader and MLC Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday said that the decision of the State Election Commission to hold Municipal and Nagar Panchayat elections in the monsoon season without discussing with the State Government is wrong. “If the administration engages in election work during the monsoon, the kharif season and the flood situation will be ignored. Therefore, a demand will be made to the Election Commission on Monday that these elections should be held after September”, said the former Energy and Guardian Minister.
Even when the fate of restoration of the 27% political quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local bodies hangs in the balance in view of the ongoing legal battle, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday announced time schedule for 4 Nagar Panchayats and 92 Nagar Parishads elections on August 18. The notification was today issued by the SEC Secretary Kiran Kurundkar.
Bawankule further said that a delegation led by BJP State President Chandrakant Patil will meet the Election Commission on Monday with a demand to postpone municipal and Nagar Panchayat elections. All party representatives of all 92 Municipalities and 4 Nagar Panchayats will be present on this occasion. It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to provide one hundred percent voting opportunity to the voters, stated the BJP leader.
“If the Election Commission conducts these elections in monsoon, only 20% of the citizens will be able to vote. In such a situation, the state will meet the Election Commission to demand that the elections be postponed. Until September, the entire administration has to deal with floods, heavy rains and kharif season. The decision was to be taken by the Election Commission in consultation with the state government,’ Bawankule asserted.
However, Bawankule alleged that the Election Commission was stubborn. This decision of the State Election Commission is not acceptable to any party, people’s representatives and the people in the state. Therefore, it is believed that all party leaders will demand that the Election Commission postpone the elections.
Patole has no right to speak on OBC reservation:
“The Maha Vikas Aghadi Government slept for two and a half years. The Supreme Court has repeatedly asked the government to compile the data. However, the leaders and ministers of MVA were holding rallies. Only two days ago our government came. In two days, Nana Patole accused us of OBC reservation. The State Congress President Patole is brazenly lying on the issue. The OBC reservation was murdered by the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government. Therefore, Patole has no right to speak,” Bawankule charged.
Expressing confidence that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would get OBC reservation immediately, Bawankule alleged that Nana Patole was misleading the people by crying hoarse on the issue.
Power tariff hike is result of MVA sins:
Bawankule further said that due to the apathy of the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government, the power tariff was increased. The coal hydro project has to be planned from January to June, but it has not been done. We had to buy expensive electricity in summer. Due to neglect from January to June, the public will now have to bear the brunt of the power tariff hike for the next four to five months from July.
