Nagpur/Mumbai: A BJP delegation on Monday met the State Election Commission (SEC) with a plea not to hold local body elections announced on August 4 and 18 and demanded that they should be conducted after the monsoon. The elections were announced sans OBC quota. The delegation’s meeting took place a day before the Supreme Court to hear the petitions on the restoration of the OBC quota in local bodies which was scrapped earlier.
‘’Due to heavy rains and floods in some parts of the state, transportation and communication have been severely impacted. In such a situation, the State Election Commission should postpone the elections in 92 Municipal Councils, 4 Nagar Panchayats and 15 Gram Panchayats,’’ demanded the State BJP President Chandrakant Patil who led a delegation that met the State Election Commissioner UPS Madan.
‘’This is the rainy season. Currently, the state is experiencing heavy rains in some places. This will make it difficult for political parties to file nominations, campaign and get voters to vote. Therefore, we requested the Commission to postpone this election schedule,’’ said Patil, adding that Madan has agreed to a city-wise review.
He said the Supreme Court had ruled that rainfall should be taken into account when announcing local body elections. ‘’Although the SEC has considered the rainfall figures, they should also take into account the ground-level situation,’’ he added.
