The by-elections to the 85 election blocks in five Zilla Parishads and 144 voting blocks in 33 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra – which had earlier been stayed in view of the continued second wave of Covid-19 and apprehending the possible third wave of the pandemic – will now be held on October 5 2021.
According to the fresh schedule announced by the State Election Commission (SEC), the nominations for the by-polls will be between September 15 and 20, while the papers will be scrutinised on September 21. The deadline for withdrawal of nomination is September 29.
While the polling for the by-polls will be held on October 5, the votes will be counted the following day.
Ity may be recalled that on July 9, the SEC had stayed the by-elections to the vacant posts in five Zilla Parishads and 33 Panchayat Samitis scheduled for July 19, 2021.
The stay on the ZP and Panchayat by-polls had followed a Supreme Court directive. It may be recalled that on July 6, the apex court had asked the SEC, Maharashtra, to decide on whether to hold or postpone the by-elections to the vacant positions of five ZP and 33 panchayat samitis after considering the Disaster Management Authority notifications and whether the prevalent pandemic conditions are “conducive’’.
On its part, the SEC had told the Supreme Court that if the situation on the ground is conducive for conducting by-elections in the concerned constituency and there was no prohibitory order or lockdown order operating in those areas, it could proceed with the election program while ensuring that the standard operating procedures and that it would follow the Covid-19 protocols as notified by the competent authorities, in its letter and spirit".
The SC directed SEC to proceed in the matter in accordance with law and report compliance within two months.
In March this year, the apex court had read down a provision of the Maharashtra ZP and Panchayat Samitis Act of1961 to mean that reservation in favour of OBCs in the concerned local bodies can be notified to the extent that it does not exceed aggregate 50 per cent of the total seats reserved in favour of SCs/STs/OBCs taken together.The SC had also quashed a few notifications issued in 2018 and 2020 by the SEC.
On March 5, the SEC had declared by-elections to the six ZPs and 27 Panchayat Samitis were more than the 50 per cent reservation, held those seats vacated, and separately announced an election scheduled for such vacated seats.