EC cites J&K security, festivals, rains for not announcing Maharashtra polls

PTI, Aug 16, 2024, 7:53 PM IST

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday said the Maharashtra Assembly elections will be announced later, citing the requirement of additional security forces for the Jammu and Kashmir polls and the packed festival season in the western state.

Addressing a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said heavy rains in Maharashtra has also led to delays in updation of the voters list in the state, which is considered as a crucial step in the electoral process.

Kumar also hinted that the Maharashtra elections could be held after Diwali. “There was heavy rainfall in Maharashtra, BLOs (booth level officers) have to complete their work. There are several festivals too that have to be factored in. Ganesh Festival, Pitru Paksha, Navratri, Diwali, all that put together this is what we thought we could handle as two elections at a time,” the CEC said.

Kumar said the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana were held together in 2019, but Jammu and Kashmir was not a factor at that time.

He said there are four elections this year – Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and a fifth election in Delhi early next year.

“Depending on the requirement of forces, which is on a higher tone in J&K, we have decided to conduct two elections together at a time,” Kumar said, making it clear that the elections to the Maharashtra Assembly cannot be announced in the middle of the election process in Jammu and Kashmir.

The CEC said the elections in Maharashtra will be held before the tenure of its assembly ends.

The political parties in Maharashtra slammed the Election Commission for not announcing the polls in the state.

“For all that talk of “one nation, one election”, the Entirely Compromised Commission (aka Election commission) states “constraint on security forces” as a reason to not hold elections in Maharashtra, with simultaneous elections in J&K,” Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said in a post on X.

“This illegal and unconstitutional regime of BJP and ‘mindhe’ have no moral right to continue. They never had one. The state has rejected them once and will reject again. Seems like the EC is giving them breathing time to allow their contractors to loot our State,” Thackeray said.

Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP said the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition was biding time with the help of the Election Commission as the people of Maharashtra have given them a “drubbing” in the Lok Sabha elections.

“BJP led Mahayuti is biding time with the help of #ECI because voters of Maharashtra gave them a drubbing in the Lok Sabha Elections,” NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said.

“But the truth is none of these tactics are going to work for them because the people of Maharashtra are wise and they will once again reject the Mahayuti in the forthcoming Maharashtra Assembly Elections,” Crasto said.