Elected members, candidates need to wait for few months for civic polls

PUNE The passage of two bills by both Houses of the legislature on Monday empowering the Maharashtra government to delimit wards, fix ward members and making it mandatory for the State Election Commission (SEC) to finalise poll schedule for local bodies after consulting the government is likely to postpone Pune civic polls

PUNE The passage of two bills by both Houses of the legislature on Monday empowering the Maharashtra government to delimit wards, fix ward members and making it mandatory for the State Election Commission (SEC) to finalise poll schedule for local bodies after consulting the government is likely to postpone Pune civic polls.

Pune civic polls are likely to be postponed. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)

The decision has increased unrest among the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members and aspiring candidates.

The state government took the step after the Supreme Court on March 3 rejected an interim report of the state backward commission recommending 27 per cent quota for OBCs in local body elections.

As Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) tenure ends March 14, municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar would become the administrator, as per the state order.

Kumar said, “I cannot say how many days I would hold this post, but as all parties took the decision in the House so my tenure could be for the next few months.”

A BJP senior leader on anonymity said, “The Maha Vikas Agadhi government would hold civic elections after six months. We carried out many works during the last few months eyeing the upcoming polls, but the delay could cause citizens to forget these works. With municipal commissioner as administrator, it would indirectly benefit the MVA government.”

NCP city unit president Prashant Jagtap said, “We are prepared to contest elections at any time, but recent developments indicate the polls might be held during Diwali.”