Maharashtra Governor Urges EC to Hold Maharashtra MLC Elections 'At The Earliest' After Uddhav Thackeray Dials PM Narendra Modi
In a major relief to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday requested the Election Commission to hold elections to nine vacant MLC seats.
Mumbai, April 30: In a what could bring some relief for Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday requested the Election Commission to hold elections to nine vacant MLC seats "at the earliest". The Election Commission postponed the elections to these nine seats due to the coronavirus outbreak. The nine seats in the state legislative council are vacant since April 24. Parties Supporting MVA Urge Maha Guv to Nominate Uddhav as MLC.
"The central government has announced many relaxation measures regarding the enforcement of lockdown in the country. As such the elections to the council seats can be held with certain guidelines," Governor stated in his letter to the poll panel. The Election Commission will hold a meeting this regard tomorrow. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora is scheduled to join the meeting via video conferencing.
Uddhav Thackeray, who is not a member of either house of the Maharashtra legislature, was sworn in as chief minister on November 28 last year. He has to become a member by May 28 to avert a constitutional crisis in the state amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's Letter:
Otherwise, he will cease to the chief minister. The state cabinet presided over by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has twice passed resolutions this month, urging Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to nominate Thackeray from his quota of two council seats. However, the Governor did not respond. The latest development came days after Thackeray called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
On Wednesday, leaders of four small parties supporting the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government urged Governor Koshyari to nominate Thackeray as the Legislative Council member. A delegation of MVA leaders led by Ajit Pawar had met the governor on Tuesday, and handed over the cabinet decision's copy to him.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2020 08:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).