Avoiding a confrontation with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and legal tangles, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government decided to put off the election to the post of Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. The MVA was contemplating holding the elections on Tuesday, the last day of the winter session, however, they decided to put it on hold.The elections to the Presiding Officer of the Lower House would now be taken in the budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature. According to available information, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had a word with NCP founder-President Sharad Pawar, the chief architect of the MVA, and took a final call. Thackeray and Pawar had also spoken to Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhkoni.The senior MVA leaders - from Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress also met at the Vidhan Bhavan complex. The MVA had earlier sent a letter to the Governor over the amendment in the Legislative rules of holding the Speaker's election through voice vote instead of secret ballot. Koshyari, however, has not cleared it.
In a significant development, the Maharashtra Legislature on Monday unanimously passed a resolution postponing elections to the local bodies in the state in the absence of 27 per cent political reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).With the Treasury and Opposition benches unanimous on the issue, the resolution sailed through. The issue of OBCs political reservation is a major issue for both the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents - Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress besides the opposition BJP.In the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the resolution was tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar which was seconded by Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis.Later, Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif tabled the resolution in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.Chairman Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar sought the opinion of the Upper House over the resolution. The Council members unanimously supported the resolution following which it was passed.The Supreme Court apex had maintained the reservation in favour of OBCs in local bodies in Maharashtra cannot exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs taken together.Watch the latest DH videos:
MUMBAI: In a fresh confrontation with the Raj Bhavan, the MVA government in Maharashtra on Monday conveyed to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari that a delay in approving the schedule for election of the Legislative assembly speaker will be taken as his "consent", sources said. The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which has been at loggerheads with the governor's office over a number of issues, appears firm on holding the speaker election on Tuesday, the last day of the ongoing winter session of the legislature, despite the Governor refusing to accept the ruling coalition's request for approval of the schedule. The Congress, a constituent of the MVA, has accused the opposition BJP of obstructing the speaker's election by using the governor's office. The post is lying vacant since February this year. Notably, 12 MLAs of the BJP are under suspension for a year since the monsoon session in July this year for allegedly misbehaving with the presiding officer in the speaker's chamber. A senior minister told PTI that the governor, in a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday morning, said the amendment in existing legislative rules to pave the way for holding the speaker's election through a voice vote in the assembly and not ballot was "unconstitutional". A delegation of MVA ministers had met the governor on Sunday with a letter of the chief minister seeking approval to hold the speaker election in the ongoing legislature session itself. The minister said a second letter sent to the Raj Bhavan on Monday evening explained that the government was within its rights to amend the existing rules related to the speaker's election. "We are firm on holding the election tomorrow (Tuesday)," he said. The development comes amid reports that Koshyari has not accepted the state government's plea for holding the speaker's election during the winter session of the state legislature. Yesterday, the governor had told a government delegation comprising revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat, urban development minister Eknath Shinde and food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal that he would seek legal opinion on the issue and get back to them. Later, Thorat had said the governor sought details of the amendments to the legislative rules about holding the election through a voice vote instead of ballot. Shinde also had said the change in procedure of holding the speaker's election was done as per the rules. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut took a swipe at the governor this morning saying "too much of study is not good in a democracy". "What matters in a democracy is listening to the voice of the people. As per Constitution, a governor has to abide by the recommendations of the state cabinet," he said. Maharashtra Congress president and MLA Nana Patole said the proposed election of the speaker by a voice vote is not unconstitutional. The post of speaker is lying vacant since February this year after Patole, who was elected to the constitutional position in end-2019, resigned to take charge as the state Congress chief. "Election of the speaker of the legislative assembly will be held by a voice vote (instead of through ballot) and the government has planned to hold this election tomorrow (Dec 28) itself," Patole told reporters. Patole was responding to a media query about a letter sent by the governor to the state government saying holding the election through a voice vote will be unconstitutional. The Congress MLA said the legislature has powers to amend rules related to election of speaker and they were amended accordingly in Maharashtra. There is a similar process in the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra has adopted the same process of electing the speaker by a voice vote, he said. The Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government and Koshyari have had constant face-offs since the three-party ruling coalition assumed office in November 2019. Koshyari had declined to nominate Thackeray (who is not an MLA) to the Legislative Council through the governor's quota after the biennial election to the Upper house of the legislature were put off during the Covid-19 lockdown last year. The governor's refusal had even threatened the survival of the MVA government as Thackeray had to get elected to either house of the Legislature before May 2020. He was not a member of the legislature when he was sworn in as chief minister in November 2019. Koshyari has also not accepted the state cabinet's recommendations to nominate 12 members to the Legislative Council through the governor's quota. Koshyari had also written a letter to Thackeray on the issue of delay in reopening of temples and questioned his Hindutva ideals. The state government had denied Koshyari permission to use the official plane to visit Uttarakhand, his home state. Meanwhile, senior advocate Shrihari Aney, a former advocate general of Maharashtra, told PTI that what the governor says may not have any legal implications when it comes to elections inside the House. "The basic position in law is that the elections are conducted in the House by the speaker. In this the governor has no role to play," Aney said. If the Governor wants to give any directions or has anything to say, then it has to be in private, Aney added. The senior advocate further said if the speaker (the Chair) says there will be a voice vote, instead of a secret ballot, and if there is a section of MLAs which does not like this process, then they can ask the speaker (presiding officer) for a division (of votes). "Then the speaker (the Chair) would have to take a decision on whether the elections would be held via voice vote or a ballot. While the governor may not have any legal rights but what he says can be considered as what a section of MLAs want," Aney said.
The Maharashtra government is working on holding the Assembly speaker's election on Tuesday.Mumbai: The Maharashtra government is working on holding the Assembly speaker's election on Tuesday, the last day of the ongoing Winter Session, sources said on Monday.The development comes amid reports that Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has not accepted the state government's plea for holding the speaker's election during the Winter Session of the state legislature.However, the state government and the Raj Bhavan refused to confirm it.A delegation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government met Mr Koshyari on Sunday and handed him a letter written by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, seeking the governor's approval for holding an election for the post of Assembly Speaker during the winter session of the state legislature.Later, state Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, who was part of the delegation, had said the governor sought details of the amendments to the legislative rules about holding the election through voice vote instead of ballot.Mr Thorat had also informed that Mr Koshyari said he will discuss and seek more information from legal experts and convey his decision by Monday.Sources on Monday said "a letter has been sent to the chief minister in a sealed envelope this morning".Asked about contents of the letter, a senior state minister on condition of anonymity said the state cabinet is meeting later in the day and "we are working to find a solution"."The speaker's election will be held tomorrow," he added.State minister Eknath Shinde, who was part of the delegation that met Mr Koshyari on Sunday, had said the change in procedure of holding the speaker's election was done as per the rules.The Assembly speaker's post has been lying vacant since February this year, after Nana Patole resigned to take charge as the state Congress chief.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe winter session of the state legislature began on December 22 and will end on December 28.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
KOLHAPUR: Huge turnout was recorded for the newly created six municipal councils in Satara and three in Sangli district on Tuesday. In Satara, Lonand, Koregaon, Patan, Dahivadi, Waduj and Khandala went to polls, while in Sangli district polls and voting was done at Kadegaon, Khanapur and Kavathe Mahankal. Voter turnout of about 75% to 85% was reported. The campaign saw fierce battle between political parties and leaders for most of these municipal councils. The campaign for Kavathe Mahankal Municipal Council was led by the son of former deputy chief minister late R R Patil and sitting MLA Suman Patil’s son Rohit Patil. Against his panel, leaders across all parties formed their panel. If the results go in his favour, he is most likely to be NCP’s candidate for next assembly election. The election for these municipal councils was held without reservation for candidates from other backward category (OBC) after the Supreme Court stayed the ordinance issued by the state government granting political reservation to OBCs. The counting of votes will be on January 19.
Maharashtra's Maha Vikas Aghadi government and the opposition BJP are on the same page with regard to the 'postponement' of the local body elections till the reservation issue for the Other Backward Classes is settled. While the NCP minister Nawab Malik has warned of a law-and-order problem if the State Election Commission goes ahead with the elections without giving political reservations to the OBCs, BJP leader Pankaja Munde in a memorandum urged state election commissioner UPS Madan to 'defer the local body polls till empirical data for the OBCs is completed'."There can be a law-and-order issue in the state if you hold the (local body) elections without restoring the OBC reservation. In a democracy you cannot hold elections by showing guns and creating fear," said Malik.Malik's comments came after another minister Vijay Wadettiwar said that the Maharashtra government has already written to the State Election Commission to postpone the local body polls. With OBC population estimated to be more than 52% in the state, no political party can afford to alienate the community. The State commission has said that the elections for the local body seats initially meant for the OBC category - which will now be treated as general category seats - will be held on January 18. Experts have opined that polls cannot be postponed unless there is a national emergency.The state government wants the polls to be postponed for at least three months so that it can come up with empirical data justifying political quota for OBCs. The SC had recently quashed the state's move to give 27% quota to OBCs in the local body polls.
MUMBAI: Stung by the SC verdict converting the 27% quota seats for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) into the general category for the upcoming local body polls, the state cabinet on Wednesday resolved to write to the state election commission to postpone the election. This, to allow for empirical data to be collected in order to restore the OBC quota. The cabinet also agreed to appoint an IAS officer as a point-person to ensure the data collection on OBC representation takes place. And to approve funds required for the exercise in the upcoming state assembly session. However, the state election commission has said it will not be possible to postpone the local body scheduled for December 21st since the Supreme Court had confirmed the dates. “The state will have to approach the SC for any changes,†said an SEC official. The SEC also pointed out that since the OBC quota seats have been converted to the general category, elections for these seats cannot be held with the rest of the local body elections on December 21st. “We will have to call for nominations afresh from general category candidates. The entire process could take a month,†said an official. The SEC has declared elections for 106 nagar panchayats, the zilla parishads of Bhandara and Gondia, and 15 panchayat samitis on that date. The quota issue is important because the Maratha community and the OBCs, which are more numerous, are jostling for political dominance. Political parties do not want to risk alienating either group. The verdict escalated the blame-game between the MVA government and the Opposition BJP especially since the SC has dismissed the state’s plea seeking data gathered through the Centre’s Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011. The SC asked for empirical data on contemporary political representation of OBCs in local bodies to be collated by a dedicated commission. “Now they say the OBC data is not there and there are errors in the SECC. If it was absent, then why did former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis write multiple letters to the Centre asking for OBC data from the SECC?†asked food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal from the NCP. He said the SC verdict would impact the OBC quota in political representation in other states as well. “This will have a national impact and OBCs will rise against it,†said Bhujbal. “It is obvious to OBCs that the BJP is anti-reservation,†said PWD Minister Ashok Chavan. The Opposition BJP said the OBC quota had been lost solely because of the MVA’s negligence. “The Supreme Court had first asked for empirical data on the electoral backwardness of OBCs in 2019. What was the state government doing for the last two years?†asked BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. He said the state should collect the data in the next three months and seek to postpone the polls until the OBC quota is restored. “The BJP is clear that the polls should not be held without the OBC quota,†said Fadnavis. BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule who belongs to the OBC community also said the state had not provided the State Backward Class Commission with funds to collect data. State Congress chief Nana Patole urged chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to provide all facilities to the Commission so that data collection can begin as early as possible and OBC reservation is sustained.
The Maharashtra government has asked the state election commission to postpone local body polls till the empirical data on Other Backward Communities was prepared by the Backward Class Commission. However, its validity has been questioned by a legal expert."The issue was brought up in the Cabinet and it was unanimously agreed that the election commission should be asked to not hold local body polls in the state till it is able to collect the empirical data," food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal said in Mumbai on Wednesday after the Supreme Court verdict struck down the state's 27% OBC quota for the local body polls. Bhujbal said the state would try to collect the empirical data of the OBC community within three months and the local body polls could be held after it.Two zilla parishads and 106 gram panchayats are set to go to polls on December 21, with more local body polls to follow.A legal expert said that the state could be getting into a bigger problem as the election commission is not bound by the state government's request. "I don't know who their legal advisors are. The elections cannot be postponed unless there is a national emergency. Under the Constitution, there is no provision to postpone elections once the term of the elected body is over," professor Ulhas Bapat, an expert in Constitution law, told ET.He also expressed doubts on the state's ability to collect OBC's empirical data in three months. "The Supreme Court judgment clearly says that the OBC data should be collated and compared, which means the state has to compare the backwardness of the OBC communities with other communities. This will mean that the state would not be able to collect the OBC data even if it takes six months," Bapat said.The state government has been under pressure since March this year after the SC struck down the 27% political quota for OBCs. The state had filed an appeal and even issued an ordinance which was also struck down. The request to the election commission could be a strategy to show that the state had done everything in its power to hold polls with the OBC quota. The political quota for the OBCs has become a hot potato for the state government as the BJP has been claiming that the state has been losing its arguments as it was 'incompetent' in handling the issue. OBC leaders like Bhujbal and Vijay Wadettiwar have, however, accused the Centre of deliberately creating hurdles for the state to implement the quota.
MUMBAI: Concerned about a backlash from the OBC community after the Supreme Court stayed the state’s 27% quota for the community in local body polls, the MVA government has decided to file an affidavit asking for the polls scheduled for December 21 to be held for all seats in all categories or postponed completely. “The view of the Mahavikas Aghadi government is clear. Elections should be conducted for all categories or all elections should be postponed. It will be wrong to hold elections for non-OBC category seats,†said deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.The SC on Monday stayed local body polls in seats reserved for OBC candidates and allowed polls for the rest. A two-judge bench questioned the state for bypassing verdicts on OBC reservation by a Constitutional bench and a three-judge bench. It rapped the government for taking the ordinance route without fulfilling criteria as enumerated by the top court, under which a committee had to collect data on OBC representation and ensure reservation does not breach the 50% ceiling. The bench had said, “Your political compulsion cannot be the basis to undo our judgement†when the state’s counsel argued that no one from OBC community would get representation if the SC ordered a stay. The state election panel has now declared elections in non-OBC seats in 106 nagar panchayats, the zilla parishads of Bhandara and Gondia and 15 panchayat samitis. The next date for hearing in the apex court is December 13. “We will not wait for that date. Instead, we are in the process of filing an intervention application before the court. I am sure we will get justice,†Pawar said. Pawar said a similar situation was witnessed in four to five states, but then the SC had given a different verdict. Food and civil supplies Chhagan Bhujbal also demanded that the Centre provide the state with empirical data in regard to the OBC quota. “If data provided by the Centre can be used for Central schemes, then why can’t it be provided to the state?†he asked. He said it would take 6-8 months for the state backward class commission to gather empirical data on OBCs. Pawar said in a coalition government, one has to take all parties together and it would be wrong to exclude OBCs from the poll process.
BJP MLA Ashish Shelar on Wednesday asked the Maharashtra State Election Commission to not go ahead with the polls in local bodies scheduled on December 21, saying conducting them will amount to doing injustice to Other Backward Classes (OBCs).Shelar's request came against the backdrop of the Supreme Court staying these polls on the seats where there is the reservation of up to 27 per cent for the OBCs.Maharashtra State Election Commissioner U P S Madan had on Tuesday announced that elections to zilla parishads, panchayat samiti and gram panchayats will be held as per schedule except on the seats reserved for OBCs in light of the Supreme Court verdict.This decision of the poll body has attracted criticism from various political parties.While staying these polls on the seats where there is the reservation of up to 27 per cent for the OBCs, the SC had also made it clear that the election process for the other seats would continue.Shelar, the BJP chief whip in the Maharashtra legislature and former minister, on Wednesday submitted a written request with the state election commissioner for staying the polls.“The election (in local bodies) is not going to be conducted on some seats because the OBC data is not available. Holding elections on remaining seats by excluding some would be an injustice to the OBC community. Hence we requested the commissioner to put the elections on hold till this issue is resolved,” he said.The tripartite MVA government of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress has announced that it will file an affidavit in the apex court requesting it to either allow polling on all seats in the local bodies on December 21 or to postpone it completely.
MUMBAI: In a jolt to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra, the BJP won four of the six seats in the state legislative council, including Nagpur, and wrested the Akola-Buldhana-Washim seat from the Shiv Sena. Reacting to BJP's victory, leader of opposition in the Maharashtra assembly Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP has busted the MVA's myth that the three parties (Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) can win every election in the state by contesting together. The Election Commission had announced polling to six seats to the Maharashtra legislative council from five local constituencies on December 10. In the election for two seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Shiv Sena (Sunil Shinde) and the BJP (Rajhans Singh) bagged one seat each unopposed. In the Kolhapur and Nandurbar-Dhule MLC polls also, the Congress and the BJP respectively secured one seat each unopposed. Polling to the Nagpur and Akola-Buldhana-Washim seats was held on December 10. According to the district information office, in Nagpur, of the 554 votes polled, BJP candidate and former state energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule secured 362 votes, while Mangesh Deshmukh, the independent candidate who was supported by the MVA, got 186 votes. On the eve of polling, the Congress nominee, Ravindra Bhoyar, had expressed his inability to contest, following which the party backed Deshmukh. However, Bhoyar later contested the poll and got only one vote. In a major upset, Shiv Sena's three-time MLC Gopikishan Bajoria was defeated by BJP's Vasant Khandelwal in Akola-Washim-Buldhana. Of the total 808 votes, Khandelwal bagged 443 votes while Bajoria secured 334. “The MVA was claiming that they will win all the elections as three parties have come together. We have busted this myth and I feel that this victory has laid the foundation for our future wins,†Fadnavis said. Khandelwal attributed his victory to the successful strategy of his party. Speaking to reporters, Bawankule said the MVA had 240 votes. However, the MVA-supported candidate only got 186 votes. Bawankule attacked Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and accused him of behaving in an autocratic manner and demanded his resignation. He said the Congress should introspect why their votes got split. "For two days, they indulged in horse trading, even then they could not keep their party together. This is in real sense the defeat of Congress leaders. The Congress leaders were behaving in an autocratic manner. Nana Patole is not suitable to work as the (state) party chief and he should resign," he said.
NAGPUR: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered its first major setback in Vidarbha since forming the government in Maharashtra in 2019. It lost both the Nagpur and Akola-Buldhana-Washim seats by crushing margins in the MLC local authority constituency biennial polls the results of which were announced on Tuesday. Earlier, the BJP had lost the graduates’ constituency and zilla parishad polls and bypolls to the three-party coalition of MVA. The BJP has won four out of six seats where elections were held on December 10. There were no polls for four seats after an unofficial pact between the rival factions. It included two seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) where BJP’s Rajhans Singh and Shiv Sen’s Sunil Shinde won. The Congress and BJP bagged one seat each at Kolhapur (minister of state Satej Patil) and Nandurbar-Dhule (Amrish Patel), respectively. Though it was an expected win for the saffron party’s Chandrashekhar Bawankule, in Akola-Buldhana-Washim constituency, it pulled a coup of sorts by defeating Shiv Sena’s Gopikishan Bajoria, a three-time MLC, by a margin of 109 votes even though MVA constituents had over 400 out of the 822 voters. As reported by TOI on December 12, Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) played a key role in ensuring BJP’s Vasant Khandelwal’s victory along with some independents. While Khandelwal secured 443 votes, Bajoria polled 334 out of the 808 valid votes. This means that the BJP bagged a big number of 157 votes from the other parties that probably included 86 of VBA, 77 independents and a few from MVA constituents – Sena, NCP and Congress. In Nagpur too, BJP received 44 votes from the three coalition partners and other parties in addition to its own tally of 318. The MVA backed independent Mangesh Deshmukh received 186 votes, while five were declared invalid. Former Congress candidate Ravindra Bhoyar, who was brought from the BJP, managed to get just one vote. On Friday, Bhoyar had told TOI that he toed the party line and voted for Deshmukh. Leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis hailed the twin victories of Bawankule and Khandewal stating that it was a ‘tight slap’ on the MVA partners’ faces. “Both these victories are special. It’s the result of the hard work of every karyakarta. With these victories by huge margins, once again, the BJP has proved its mettle in these MLC elections,†he tweeted. Fadnavis was in the city to greet Bawankule and joined party workers in the celebrations. “Political arithmetic does not mean MVA’s three parties coming together to secure victories. In fact, it’s the political chemistry which worked for us,†he told the media. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Nana Patole blamed BJP for “horse-trading†in the polls to secure wins. “They resorted to undemocratic tactics to win the polls which is their modus operandi. We, however, welcome the people’s mandate,†he said. Bawankule, a three-time MLA who was denied a ticket for the 2019 assembly polls, thanked the party’s central and state parliamentary boards for reposing the faith in him. “It is indeed a big victory and I thank party leaders and workers, who supported me throughout. Even in Akola, the Shiv Sena won since last three terms just because they had the support of BJP. Now, after withdrawing from the saffron alliance, the voters there taught a befitting lesson to them.†Denying speculations about him being upset over denial of ticket to him earlier, the former energy minister in Fadnavis cabinet added party had given him everything and never ditched him. “I was heading Vidarbha and Marathwada. For some reason, the party wanted me to work at the ground level and I obliged. No one is above party. Even if declined a ticket, the leaders should always follow party’s orders,†he said.
In a jolt to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra, the BJP won four of the six seats in the state Legislative Council, including Nagpur, and wrested the Akola-Buldhana-Washim seat from the Shiv Sena.Reacting to BJP's victory, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP has busted the MVA's myth that the three parties (Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) can win every election in the state by contesting together.The Election Commission had announced polling to six seats to the Maharashtra Legislative Council from five local constituencies on December 10.Also Read | Maharashtra council poll wins reflect faith in PM Modi, says NaddaIn the election for two seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Shiv Sena (Sunil Shinde) and the BJP (Rajhans Singh) bagged one seat each unopposed.In the Kolhapur and Nandurbar-Dhule MLC polls also, the Congress and the BJP respectively secured one seat each unopposed. Polling to the Nagpur and Akola-Buldhana-Washim seats was held on December 10.According to the District Information Office, in Nagpur, of the 554 votes polled, BJP candidate and former state energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule secured 362 votes, while Mangesh Deshmukh, the independent candidate who was supported by the MVA, got 186 votes.On the eve of polling, the Congress nominee, Ravindra Bhoyar, had expressed his inability to contest, following which the party-backed Deshmukh. However, Bhoyar later contested the poll and got only one vote.In a major upset, Shiv Sena's three-time MLC Gopikishan Bajoria was defeated by BJP's Vasant Khandelwal in Akola-Washim-Buldhana. Of the total 808 votes, Khandelwal bagged 443 votes while Bajoria secured 334.“The MVA was claiming that they will win all the elections as three parties have come together. We have busted this myth and I feel that this victory has laid the foundation for our future wins,” Fadnavis said.Khandelwal attributed his victory to the successful strategy of his party. Speaking to reporters, Bawankule said the MVA had 240 votes. However, the MVA-supported candidate only got 186 votes.Bawankule attacked Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and accused him of behaving in an autocratic manner and demanded his resignation. He said the Congress should introspect why their votes got split."For two days, they indulged in horse trading, even then they could not keep their party together. This is in real sense the defeat of Congress leaders. The Congress leaders were behaving in an autocratic manner. Nana Patole is not suitable to work as the (state) party chief and he should resign," he said.Check out the latest videos from DH:
BJP chief JP Nadda on Tuesday said that the party winning four of six seats in Maharashtra Legislative Council reflects people's faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and policies.Taking to microblogging site Twitter, Naddu said: "BJP winning four out of six seats in Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, shows people's faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, policies and plans. I congratulate state president Chandrakant Patil, Devendra Fadnavis and all the workers of BJP Maharashtra."BJP National General Secretary and Maharashtra in-charge CT Ravi tweeted, "Heartiest Congratulations to Team BJP Maharashtra for the spectacular victory in the MLC elections. Thanks to the exceptional hard work by our karyakartas under the leadership of state president Sri Chandrakant Patil and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, BJP has won 4 of the 6 seats."Also Read — Battlelines drawn for Maharashtra Legislative Council pollsAfter the results were declared, Fadnavis tweeted, "Both these victories are special and results of hard work of every karyakarta. With these victories from Nagpur & Akola by great margins, once again, BJP Maharashtra proves its mettle in these MLC elections. Of the total 6 seats, BJP won 4 seats of Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad."The saffron party bagged the local authority constituency polls in Akola and Nagpur seats, with Vasant Khandelwal and Chandrashekhar Bawankule winning the seats, respectively, in the elections held last Friday.Besides, the BJP and Sena bagged one seat each in Mumbai, the BJP also netted Dhule seat and Congress secured Kolhapur, all four unopposed owing to local-level political understandings in the biennial polls.Watch the latest DH Videos here:
NEW DELHI: There will be no reservation of seats for Other Backward Classes in the upcoming municipal elections in Maharashtra as the Supreme Court has held that reservation cannot be granted because the state has failed to fulfill the ‘triple test’ criteria, including collecting data on OBCs. The SC has directed the state election commission to convert the 27% reserved seats into general category ones. A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and C T Ravikumar turned down the Maharashtra government’s plea seeking suspension of the entire election process for at least three months during which the commission set up by it could complete the task of collecting empirical data on OBCs and for the poll to be held thereafter with seats reserved for OBC candidates. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the state, contended that it would provide all facilities and resources to the commission to fast-track the proceedings to enable it to file a report within three months.
In a setback to the Maharashtra government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the State Election Commission to notify 27 per cent of seats reserved for Other Backward Classes to the general category so that the poll process can be taken forward.The court had on December 6 stayed the local body election in Maharashtra over seats reserved for the OBCs.A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar directed the SEC to issue a fresh notification for the 27 per cent seats within a week.“In other words, the SEC must immediately issue fresh notification for the 27 per cent seats, reserved for OBC, as general category and initiate election process for these seats along with the election process, already on its way for the remaining 73 per cent of seats, in the concerned local body,” the bench said.Also Read — Supreme Court dismisses Maharashtra's plea for use of Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 dataThe court said it is not possible to allow reservation for OBC category without collecting all data on the inadequacy of representation.The bench said there is no reason to modify the December 6 order in that regard. It, however, said the hiatus cannot be continued for an indefinite period and issue fresh notification.The court said this direction would apply even to the by-elections of the concerned local bodies. It posted the matter for hearing on January 17. During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Maharashtra, sought time from the court for a commission to go into exercise for collecting relevant data in terms of the constitutional mandate.Watch the latest DH Videos here:
