NEW DELHI, Sept 28: Most of the political parties in Maharashtra have requested the Election Commission of India to finalise the dates of the state Assembly elections only after taking into consideration the coming major festivals like Diwali, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday.
Talking to media persons in Mumbai at the end of the Commission’s two-day visit to the state to review the state’s poll preparedness, Mr Kumar said the election process in Maharashtra would be completed before November 26 when the term of the current Assembly ends. The poll dates would be decided only after keeping in mind the festival schedules, he said.
The CEC who along with his team of Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu met the representatives from 11 political parties, said, “All political parties have asked us to consider the upcoming festivals while announcing the election dates. I am confident that Maharashtra will actively contribute to the festival of democracy,” he said.
Mr Kumar refused to hazard a guess if it would be a single-phase polling as is learnt to have been suggested by most of the political parties or multi-phased. “You will know about it in due course of time,” he said. He added that there would be 1,00,186 polling booths for the assembly elections.
The CEC also expressed concern about low voter turnout in urban areas, noting efforts to maximize participation in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. He cited regions like Colaba and Kalyan in Mumbai as having recorded some of the lowest voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.
He further stressed the importance of informing daily wage earners and others in the unorganised sector that voting day would be a paid holiday, aimed at increasing turnout. “Our goal is to ensure maximum voter registration and participation in these elections,” he added.
The CEC also called on the Maharashtra government to transfer officials who have been in their home district or current posting for more than three years, requesting a compliance report on this within the next few days.
Mr Kumar reiterated the importance of voters being aware of candidates’ criminal backgrounds, urging political parties to provide clear explanations for fielding such candidates. He also noted that helicopters used during election campaigns would be thoroughly checked to ensure inducement-free elections in Maharashtra. He also issued a warning against the use of fake news and deepfake technology on social media, pledging strict action against offenders.
(Manas Dasgupta)