Pune: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Thursday said there would be no change in the Feb 5 schedule of the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections.The SEC cited statutory provisions and logistical constraints linked to the Class XII board examinations and rejected demands by various political leaders and activists to defer polling in some districts due to the annual Mayakka fair.The commission sent a written response to the representation by activist Prafulla Kadam of Sangola in Solapur district. It said the election programme was finalised strictly in accordance with the Maharashtra Zilla Parishad (Electoral Divisions and Conduct of Elections) Rules, 1962, and the Maharashtra Panchayat Samiti (Electoral Divisions and Conduct of Elections) Rules, 1962.Under the rules, the election notice must be published not later than 20 days before the date fixed for polling.
“The election notice was published on Jan 16 and polling is scheduled for Feb 5. The gap between the publication of the notice and the date of the poll cannot exceed 20 days,” the SEC said.The commission also cited the Higher Secondary Certificate examinations beginning on Feb 10. The examination centres need be handed over to the education board by Feb 8, making it administratively not feasible to conduct polling on Feb 6 or 8. “It is not possible to accept the request to change the polling date,” the SEC said.The clarification followed demands from several political leaders and local representatives to reschedule polling in districts where the date coincided with the annual Mayakka fair, a religious and social event that attracts many devotees every year and was held at Chinchali in Belagavi, Karnataka. Those backing the demand argued that holding elections on the day of the fair would deprive a large number of people of their right to vote and interfere with religious practices.
MLAs Vishwajit Kadam and Gopichand Padalkar had also written to the SEC on the issue.In his representation, Kadam sought that polling in affected districts be shifted by a day or two to ensure higher voter turnout. However, the SEC maintained that once the statutory election process began, there was limited scope to alter the schedule. Kadam told TOI that he planned to approach the HC.The SEC-approved decision effectively ruled out any change in the Feb 5 polling date. The SEC also sought reports from the Pune divisional commissioner and collectors on the same issue. Officials said the reply was given after the reports.
