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Civic polls race on!
Less than a month after the municipal council elections, the stage was set on Tuesday for another round of show of strength among the various political parties in Maharashtra, as the State Election Commission (SEC) announced the poll schedule for 10 municipal corporations and 27 zila parishads.
On a day when various political parties, particularly the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena, vied with one another in doling out sops and making new promises to the voters, the SEC scheduled the polls to the 27 ZPs for February 7 and to the 10 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), for February 16.
“While the counting of votes in the ZP polls would be held on February 8, the commissioners of respective municipal corporations have been authorized to decide on the day and time for commencing the votes in the civic body polls,” State Election Commissioner Neela Satyanarayan said.
Within hours of the SEC announcing the poll schedule, a controversy broke out over the scheduled date of counting (February 8) for the ZP polls. Senior BJP leader and newly appointed leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Council Vinod Tawade opposed the holding of counting of votes in the ZP polls on February 8 on the ground that the poll outcome would have a bearing on the municipal corporation polls scheduled for February 16.
Tawade demanded that the counting of votes in the ZP polls be held along with that of the municipal corporations on or after February 16. Leaders of other Opposition parties like the Shiv Sena, RPI(A) and MNS supported Tawade’s stand.
Given that the announcement of schedule for polls to 10 municipal corporations, including the BMC, and 27 ZPs was very much on cards, most political parties got into election-mode on Tuesday evening itself.
Fresh from their impressive performance in the recent polls to 196 municipal councils across Maharashtra, the ruling Congress and NCP - which had contested the earlier polls separately - were raring to go. They were more than confident of repeating their performing in the ZP polls, if not in the municipal corporation elections.
While the Congress and NCP have in principle decided to contest the municipal corporation polls as an alliance, the two ruling DF partners will in likelihood fight the ZP polls separately as was the case in the recent municipal council polls. A co-ordination committee of the leaders of the two parties will meet on Wednesday to formalise the seat-sharing arrangements between the two parties for the polls to various municipal corporations, including the BMC.
Having entered into an alliance among themselves, the Opposition Shiv Sena, BJP and Republican Party of India (A) will contest the municipal corporation and ZP polls as a grand alliance.
Less than a month after the municipal council elections, the stage was set on Tuesday for another round of show of strength among the various political parties in Maharashtra, as the State Election Commission (SEC) announced the poll schedule for 10 municipal corporations and 27 zila parishads.
On a day when various political parties, particularly the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena, vied with one another in doling out sops and making new promises to the voters, the SEC scheduled the polls to the 27 ZPs for February 7 and to the 10 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), for February 16.
“While the counting of votes in the ZP polls would be held on February 8, the commissioners of respective municipal corporations have been authorized to decide on the day and time for commencing the votes in the civic body polls,” State Election Commissioner Neela Satyanarayan said.
Within hours of the SEC announcing the poll schedule, a controversy broke out over the scheduled date of counting (February 8) for the ZP polls. Senior BJP leader and newly appointed leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Council Vinod Tawade opposed the holding of counting of votes in the ZP polls on February 8 on the ground that the poll outcome would have a bearing on the municipal corporation polls scheduled for February 16.
Tawade demanded that the counting of votes in the ZP polls be held along with that of the municipal corporations on or after February 16. Leaders of other Opposition parties like the Shiv Sena, RPI(A) and MNS supported Tawade’s stand.
Given that the announcement of schedule for polls to 10 municipal corporations, including the BMC, and 27 ZPs was very much on cards, most political parties got into election-mode on Tuesday evening itself.
Fresh from their impressive performance in the recent polls to 196 municipal councils across Maharashtra, the ruling Congress and NCP - which had contested the earlier polls separately - were raring to go. They were more than confident of repeating their performing in the ZP polls, if not in the municipal corporation elections.
While the Congress and NCP have in principle decided to contest the municipal corporation polls as an alliance, the two ruling DF partners will in likelihood fight the ZP polls separately as was the case in the recent municipal council polls. A co-ordination committee of the leaders of the two parties will meet on Wednesday to formalise the seat-sharing arrangements between the two parties for the polls to various municipal corporations, including the BMC.
Having entered into an alliance among themselves, the Opposition Shiv Sena, BJP and Republican Party of India (A) will contest the municipal corporation and ZP polls as a grand alliance.
