Maharashtra to again request SEC to postpone ZP bypolls

The Apex court decision came in response to a petition filed by the state government requesting it to extend the bypolls for six months considering the prevailing Covid-19 situation and cases of Delta plus virus found in the state.

The Maharashtra government has decided to again request the state election commission (SEC) to postpone the bypolls declared for zilla parishads. The decision was taken following a Supreme Court decision authorising the SEC to take an appropriate decision.

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The Apex court decision came in response to a petition filed by the state government requesting it to extend the bypolls for six months considering the prevailing Covid-19 situation and cases of Delta plus virus found in the state.

“The Apex court directed the SEC to take an appropriate decision on holding ZP bypolls. After which the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray directed the chief secretary Sitaram Kunte to request the election commission to postpone the bypolls considering the prevailing Covid-19 situation,” said Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister, in the state Assembly on Tuesday.

SEC had declared bypolls in five zilla parishads — Dhule, Nandurbar, Akola, Washim, and Nagpur and 33 other panchayat samitis — on the seats vacated following a Supreme Court against political reservation for Other Backward Classes.

This has heated the political temperature of the state as all the political parties have opposed the by-election.

Last month, the chief secretary wrote a letter requesting the SEC to postpone the bypolls. SEC refused to accept the request saying the Apex court had directed them to hold bypolls on the vacated seats.