After SC verdict, Maha govt wary about holding local body polls

The ruling parties in Maharashtra are hesitant about holding local body elections after the recent Supreme Court verdict on the state's political crisis. Over ten petitions related to the elections are still pending in the Supreme Court, and elections cannot be held until a decision is made. The BJP and Shiv Sena are waiting for a more opportune time, as they are not confident that the political climate is favourable to them. The delay could help them face the polls more confidently after the SC verdict.

STRAP: Apex court also has to clear petitions relating to the polls first

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Mumbai: After Thursday’s Supreme Court verdict on the political crisis in Maharashtra, the ruling parties are hesitant about holding elections to the 23 municipal corporations and 26 district councils anytime soon. Though the corporations and councils are being run by administrators for over a year now, the Shinde-Fadnavis government is wary of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) benefiting from a sympathy wave.

Apart from this, over ten petitions related to the local body elections are still pending in the Supreme Court: the MVA government’s decision to increase the number of wards in proportion to the rise in the population and the Shinde-Fadnavis government’s decision to roll this back, both of which have been challenged; a petition against the MVA’s decision of giving itself the powers to change the contours of the wards; and the issue of OBC reservation in 94 urban bodies. The apex court, while hearing the petitions, had ordered status quo in all the pending matters in August, and thus elections cannot be held till it takes a decision.

The Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP, on their part, have been waiting for an opportune time. “The government was planning to hold the elections in October-November last year, expecting that it would benefit from the Shiv Sena split,” said a BJP leader requesting anonymity. “However, the sympathy towards Uddhav Thackeray, who lost the government and even his party, still exists and could even increase after the Supreme Court verdict. It will benefit the MVA as well. Both the ruling parties are still not confident that the political climate is favourable to them.”

The leader added that the recent elections to the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) polls held two weeks ago also showed that the MVA was doing better than the ruling parties. As such, no efforts are being made to push for the elections to be held soon,” he said.

Leaders from both the ruling parties feel that though the SC verdict on Thursday saved the government, the court’s remarks against the governor and speaker have damaged them. “The adverse remarks on the formation of the government and pulling down the erstwhile MVA government could help Thackeray and his allies generate more sympathy,” said a leader from the Shinde camp. “Though the local body polls are now possible only after the monsoon, even if the apex court takes a decision, the ruling parties would wish to push them further for more favourable ground.”

The leader added that the BJP and Shinde faction had fared poorly in all the elections held after the formation of their government, and if the trend continued in the local body polls, it could cost the BJP dearly in the general elections. “The BJP is also worried about chief minister Eknath Shinde’s failure to gain popularity on the ground and among voters,” he said.

BJP vice-president Madhav Bhandari, however, said that the ruling parties were ready to face the polls anytime. “The decision about holding the election has to be taken by the SC,” he said. “The delay will help the BJP-Sena face the polls more confidently after the SC verdict. They now have the opportunity to act more aggressively and work in the interest of the people. As for sympathy for the MVA constituents, I don’t think there’s any reason for sympathy, as the SC has made it clear that the government fell because of its own mistakes.”

According to officials from the state election commission, who are party to the petitions in the SC, they had requested that the polls be held, but no steps were taken. “We will need at least three months for the pre-poll preparations after the court verdict,” said an SEC official. “Since no polls are held during the monsoon, they are unlikely to be held before September.”

Besides 23 corporations and 26 district councils, 385 nagar panchayats and councils are also due for elections. Many of these bodies are under the governance of an administrator for over a year, while five municipal corporations have been without an elected body for over three years. Over 80 percent of the population participates in these elections, giving them the status of ‘mini polls’.