Maha poll rain dance follows SC diktat

Mumbai: Maharashtra and Goa will see elections held during the monsoons for the first time in more than three decades, after the Supreme Court refused to defer them. The last time something like this happened was when the general elections were held following the assassination of Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi on May 21, 1991.

“In 1991, I was posted as returning officer in Nanded district and polls were held in two phases, with the latter concluding in June. Since then, the Election Commission of India has never scheduled polls during the monsoon. However, now the Supreme court directed us on May 17 to hold elections in such areas where low rainfall activity is historically witnessed,” Kiran Kurundkar, Secretary, State Election Commission (SEC), said. The SEC had approached the apex court citing challenges of manpower deployment for the civil administration and police department that are engaged with disaster management and flood relief efforts, besides logistical problems during the rains. However, following the SC diktat the SEC identified 271 gram panchayats (villages), including Solapur, where historically low rainfall has been recorded to hold elections on July 29. “With no relief from the court (which instead asked why all pending elections could not be held simultaneously before recommending holding polls in low-rainfall areas first), we studied rainfall data of 50 years, and actual rainfall data for the last 10 years in Maharashtra, and then called the Chief Scientist at the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in Pune over for a forecast,” Kurundkar added.

On Tuesday, the SEC told the apex court that they had identified 271 villages for holding the first phase of urban self-body polls that span across 17 districts covering 92 town municipalities, four town panchayats with election notices to be issued on July 28 for their scheduled poll rain dance. On Thursday, however, the SEC partly stayed the scheduled polls. Says Kurundkar, “The notification for 92 Municipal Councils and four Nagar Panchayats was to be issued on July 20 which we have stayed following the hearing before the apex court on July 12. However, 271 Gram Panchayat polls will be held as per schedule as the nomination process was started on July 12.” Goa is also bracing for the monsoon challenge on August 10, after a similar diktat from the SC.