Unusual alliance in the making between MVA & BJP govt in Madhya Pradesh over restoration of OBC quota in local body polls

An unusual alliance is in the making between MVA & BJP government in Madhya Pradesh on political crucial issue of restoration of OBC quota in urban and rural bodies

CM Uddhav Thackeray expects to speak to his counterpart Shivraj Chauhan to explore an option of filing a joint review petition against SC’s recent rulings

Both may lead a joint delegation to sensitise PM and CJI on OBC quota issue and why the postponement of local body elections in its absence is necessary

Maharashtra SEC moves an application in SC with a plea to allow pre-poll process by end of July as conducting polls in July and August won't be possible in the middle of monsoon

Allow to announce poll schedule in September and conduct urban local body elections in October and rural local body polls in November

Mumbai: There is an unusual alliance happening between the BJP led government in Madhya Pradesh and Shiv Sena led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra on the politically sensitive issue of postponement of urban and local body elections till the OBC reservation is restored. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will speak to his counterpart Shivraj Chauhan with a suggestion to file a joint review petition against the Supreme Court rulings asking the State Election Commissions of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to notify the elections in two weeks. Besides, both the CMs may seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention with a plea to issue an ordinance for the restoration of OBC quota in urban and local bodies. This was the outcome of the lengthy discussion that took place at the state cabinet meeting chaired by Thackeray on Wednesday.

On the other hand, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) today filed a special application in the apex court with a plea to permit it to complete the stages of ward formation, reservation for SC, ST and women and division of voter lists for 2486 local bodies by end of July. Further, SEC has pleaded that it should be allowed to issue an election schedule in September as conducting elections in July and August will not be possible as the administrative machinery will be busy with flood control, mitigation and disaster management works.

Further, SEC has pleaded that it be allowed to hold elections to the urban local bodies in October and for rural local bodies in November.

A senior MVA Minister told the Free Press Journal, ‘’As far as an understanding between MVA and BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is concerned, the common thread is restoration of OBC quota and in its absence, elections should not take place. Veteran NCP minister and Samata Parishad founder Chhagan Bhujbal suggested that it is an opportunity for Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to join hands together to save the Constitutional right of the OBCs which is a political quota in urban and local bodies. A suggestion was also made that both Thackeray and Chauhan should meet the PM and Chief Justice of India to sensitise them.’’

Another minister opined that SEC, which has commenced the pre-poll process, should complete it instead of filing an application in the apex court. ‘’Several ministers feared that the SC may direct the Maharashtra SEZ to announce and conduct a poll schedule for urban and local bodies based on the electoral list of 2017. However, few ministers claimed that the apex court cannot do it unless and until the SEC revises the voters’ list,’’ he noted.

Meanwhile, Bhujbal led Samata Parishad is weighing an option of independently filing a review petition seeking stay on the Supreme Court order of May 4. The apex court in a matter pertaining to elections to local bodies in Maharashtra had directed the State Election Commission to notify polls in two weeks on the basis of the previous delimitation exercise. It had rejected the stand that the elections can be conducted only after fresh delimitation is done by the state government.