Mumbai, Jan 2 (PTI) Elections to 12 zilla parishads (ZPs) and 125 panchayat samitis in Maharashtra are likely to be held in the first week of February, with the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) expected to announce the schedule next week, sources said on Friday.
The SEC will hold a review meeting with district officials on January 6 to assess poll preparedness, availability of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and manpower for the third phase. A final decision on election dates is expected thereafter, ahead of the formal announcement in the second week of January.
The election process must be completed well before February 10, when Class 12 board examinations begin.
“We will need around 28 days to complete the poll process. We are expecting the supply of the new EVMs from Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) to begin after January 15. Once the manpower is freed from the municipal corporations, we can engage them in the district council elections,” an SEC official said.
Another official said logistical constraints could push polling into early February.
“We need at least 70,000 EVMs for 35,000 polling booths and over 1.5 lakh officials and employees to conduct the polls. Since we are not able to announce the polls for the third phase before January 8, elections to district councils and panchayat samitis are expected to be held in the first week of February. This will result in the breaching of the SC deadline of January 31, but we will put up our difficulties before it during the next hearing on January 21,” the official said.
The Supreme Court, in its November and December orders, directed the SEC to hold elections to local bodies even if reservations exceed the 50 per cent cap. However, it allowed polls only to 12 ZPs and 125 panchayat samitis, barring those that breach the reservation limit.
The first phase of elections to 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats was held on December 2, with polls to 24 others conducted on December 20. Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra are scheduled for January 15
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