The State Election Commission (SEC) has informed the Supreme Court that it will hold the local body polls in two-three phases after monsoon. The apex court has been told that the elections to the 20 municipal corporations in Maharashtra could be conducted in September-October, while 25 district councils, 284 panchayat samitis, and 2,000-odd gram panchayats could go to the polls in October-November.
The SEC submitted a fresh time table to the SC early this week. The court on May 4 directed the poll panel to begin the election process in two weeks.
The SEC has apprised the SC that the pre-poll process, which includes formation of the wards, draw for reservation, and finalisation of the electoral rolls, is at different phases and it will need at least two more months for its completion. The process was halted after the state government on March 11 amended the laws to take away the power of formation of the wards from the SEC.
“The SC in its March 4 ruling asked us to apprise it of the compliance of the order. We made the submission on May 10, informing the court about the steps taken. It specifically directed us to resume the election process within two weeks. We, while apprising it of having begun the process, made it clear that the actual conduct of the polls was not possible before September. We also submitted an affidavit in the SC last month informing it that the elections could not be held during the monsoon,” an official from the SEC said, requesting anonymity.
In its fresh submission in the SC, the poll panel has said that the pre-poll process for all the 2,486 local bodies is expected to be completed by the end of June or mid-July. It has stated that the formation of wards in 14 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Thane, and Kalyan-Dombivali, will be completed by May 17, while the reservation process in these bodies will be completed by June 30. The formation of wards in 25 district councils and 284 panchayat samitis is expected to be completed by June 30, while the finalisation of the reservation will be completed by July 31, the SEC has said.
It has told the apex court that the SEC wishes to hold the elections in two-three phases – first phase for the urban bodies in September-October and second phase for the rural bodies in October-November. “It would not be possible for us to conduct the elections during the heavy monsoon months of July and August for logistical issues, including flooding, transportation, and deployment of staff for flood control measures.”
“The same sets of officers in the rank of deputy collectors appointed as returning officers are required to hold the elections for the urban and rural bodies. Because of the limited number of electronic voting machines available with the SEC, these machines will have to be used in all phases. The polls also need to be held in phases for the convenience of the deployment of police personnel,” the SEC stated in the submission.
Twenty municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the civic bodies in Pune, Thane, Nagpur, and Navi Mumbai, 25 district councils, 285 panchayat samitis, 210 nagar panchayats, and more than 2,000 gram panchayats are either due or going to be due for polls in the next couple of months.
