Despite SC ruling, polls still not likely for next 3 months

MUMBAI: Though the supreme court’s (SC) order to the State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday to notify elections to over 2,400 local bodies, including Mumbai, without political quota for the other backward classes (OBCS) came as a jolt to the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the actual polling may not be conducted for at least three months.

With a perception that it failed to safeguard the interests of the OBCS — who form the largest demographic bloc in the state — the MVA may have to face the ire of these communities. These will be the first largescale polls after the MVA government under Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray came to power in November 2019.

Leaders of the MVA said they would examine the order before deciding on the future course of action. Thackeray will chair a meeting on Thursday to discuss the impact of the ruling and examine the possible legal remedies.

SEC officials said the SC had directed them to continue the process of demarcation of ward boundaries from where they left it after the state government on March 11 amended the laws to take away their powers of delimitation.

“The process of elections referred to by the SC includes the demarcation of ward boundaries. The remaining process of the delimitation will take two to three months and this has been submitted on record in the apex court by us. So, to begin the process does not mean the voting process, but the conduct of elections. We will immediately resume the remaining process. Similarly, we have apprised the SC that the elections cannot be held during monsoon as in some parts, including Mumbai and Vidarbha, it rains heavily in July and August,” said Kiran Kurundkar, secretary, SEC.

An official from the general administration department said the elections would unlikely be held for at least three more months even if the SC order was implemented in letter and spirit. “The demarcation of the ward boundaries will take two to three months, stretching it to July, after which the actual conduct of the voting could be considered. The SEC’S contention that the elections could not be held during the monsoon will have to be taken into consideration by the SC as the elections are never held in the rainy season in the state history. Secondly, if the court considers the window period of six months from the expiry of the term of the local bodies, the elections can be held in September as the term of most of the bodies ended in March,” he said.

Revenue minister and Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said, “The SC has given its ruling and things will be clearer after reading the order. But the monsoon is a hurdle.”

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said the ruling coalition had backstabbed the OBCS.

Sachin Rajurkar, general secretary, national OBC federation, said the OBCS had lost the reservation because of the inefficiency of the state government.