Amid Covid-19 Lockdown, EC To Hold Mahrashtra Legislative Council Polls On May 21

The Election Commission has announced polling for nine legislative council seats in Maharashtra on May 21 which will give Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray an opportunity to become an MLC within the six-month deadline.

MUMBAI, INDIA - MARCH 11: Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray arrived during the Maharashtra Legislature Budget Session held at vidhan Bhavan, on March.11, 2020 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Vijayanand Gupta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Mumbai: The Election Commission on Friday announced to hold polls to nine legislative council seats in Maharashtra on May 21, giving Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray an opportunity to become an MLC within the six-month deadline for being elected to either Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad. According to IANS, the EC has decided to conduct the biennial election in Maharashtra on May 21. The notification will be issued on May 4 and the last date of filing nominations will be May 11. The scrutiny of nominations will be on May 12 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature will be on May 14 as per the commission's schedule. The polls will be conducted on May 21 between 9 am and 4 pm and the counting will be held on the same day at 5 p.m. A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to PM Narendra Modi over the alleged attempts being made to create political instability in the state, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to declare elections to the nine vacant seats of the state’s Legislative Council. Uddhav Thackeray, who became Chief Minister last year without contesting the Maharashtra polls, must be a member of the upper house by May 28 or he will have to resign some reports say. The Election Commission took the decision following a letter dated April 30 received by Chief Secretary, Maharashtra in which he said that elections to the nine MLC seats could be held in a safe environment. The state government had assured the EC that elections will be held in totally hygienic conditions with social distancing protocols and other conditions in place. It also decided that the Union Home Secretary, who is Chairperson of National Executive Committee in ex-officio capacity under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, should depute an officer of suitable seniority to ensure that the preventive measures are put in place in keeping with the provisions of the said Act for the smooth conduct of the electoral process for the election the IANS report said.