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Focus shifts to long-overdue local body elections
Following state polls, attention is now on the overdue municipal, zilla parishad, and other local body elections, pending since March 2022 due to the unresolved issue of OBC reservation in court
Pune: With the assembly elections concluded, attention is now on the overdue municipal, zilla parishad, and other local body elections, pending since March 2022 due to the unresolved issue of Other Backward Castes (OBC) reservation in court.
A senior IAS officer suggested that elections could be conducted soon if there is political will.
“Although the court case is pending, preparations such as the voter list and ward structures are ready. If the government decides, elections could be held within two months. Prolonging the wait is unfair to candidates who have already waited through the Lok Sabha and assembly elections,” the bureaucrat said on condition of anonymity.
The state government has recently sent a letter to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) seeking updates on their election preparations. The government has also instructed PMC to remove voters from Uruli Devachi and Phursungi from its jurisdiction list, signalling that preparations for municipal elections are gaining momentum.
As political parties gear up for a potential showdown in early 2025, the long-overdue elections are set to test their readiness and the Mahayuti’s hold over local governance
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “With the Mahayuti alliance securing a thumping majority, the ruling parties are eager to conduct local body elections soon, as public sentiment is currently in their favour. After the Lok Sabha elections, the Mahayuti delayed these elections due to the dominance of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in local bodies. However, with support from the central government, the new state government is likely to resolve the legal hurdles and announce the elections soon.”
Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat echoed the sentiment, stating, “The political atmosphere is favourable. There’s a high chance that municipal elections will be conducted between January and February 2025. This is an opportune time, and we are fully prepared.”
Ujwal Keskar, another BJP leader, emphasised the urgency of holding these elections. “We are part of the ongoing court case and have advocated for conducting elections as per the previous ward structures. Delaying elections is undemocratic, and it’s high time we address the issue,” he said.
Opposition wary of early elections
A Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader expressed concern over the opposition’s readiness. “After the Lok Sabha elections, we had demanded local body elections. But given the assembly results, our cadre is still recovering from the shock. It might take some time for us to regroup and prepare,” he said.
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said his party has already started preparing for civic polls. “We will contest the upcoming municipal corporation and council elections as per the mandate received in the assembly elections. We are confident to register big victory in that election too.”
