Mumbai, May 1: The Election Commission of India has approved the Maharashtra Governor's request to conduct polls for the legislative council in the state. The elections for the state's upper house is necessary for Uddhav Thackeray, an unelected member in either wings of the legislature, to continue as the Chief Minister. Uddhav Thackeray Speaks to PM Narendra Modi Amid Delay in Governor's Decision on His Nomination to State Council.

The polling will be held before May 27, said the EC in its statement. Thackeray, who took oath as the CM on November 29 last year, will have to be elected in the legislative council by end of the month to continue in his position. As per the constitutional norms, an unelected power can be a member of the Cabinet only for six months.

"Election Commission of India (ECI) grants permission for holding elections to the Legislative Council (MLCs) in Maharashtra. The necessary guidelines will need to be ensured for safety against COVID-19 during the elections," said the statement issued by the polling body on Friday.

Update by ANI

The EC nod comes a day after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari wrote to the polling body, asking it to conduct the polls at the earlier. This was preceded by a phone call from Thackeray to Prime Minister Narendra Modi - in which he reportedly expressed apprehensions over the alleged role being played by the Raj Bhawan and his party BJP in creating political instability in Maharashtra amid the coronavirus crisis.

Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena, did not contest in the Maharashtra assembly elections 2019. His party emerged as the second-largest, winning 56 seats, whereas, the then ally had bagged 105 assembly segments. While they secured a comfortable majority, the Sena and BJP broke their alliance due to disagreements over power-sharing.

Thackeray then stitched a coalition with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The three-party alliance asked Thackeray to head the multi-party government. The 59-year-old became the first-member of Thackeray family to occupy the top constitutional post.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2020 11:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).