Maharashtra Guv writes to Election Commission, seeks polls for 9 Council seats

Days after the Maharashtra cabinet recommended proposing Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s appointment to the Legislative Council, Governor B S Koshyari on Thursday (April 30) requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to declare polls for nine vacant seats of the Upper House of the state Legislature.

A statement from Raj Bhavan said Koshyari requested the ECI to declare elections to the nine vacant seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council “at the earliest”. The governor made the request to the poll watchdog to fill the nine seats that have been lying vacant since April 24, with a view to end the current uncertainty in the state.

In his letter, the governor stated that the Centre 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,” he said in the letter.

Since Uddhav Thackeray is not a member of either house of the State Legislature, he needs to get elected to the the Council before May 27, 2020, the statement said. The Election Commission had withheld the election process for these nine seats due to the coronavirus crisis.

Thackeray was sworn in as chief minister on November 28, 2019. He has to become a member of the House by May 28 when he completes six months in office. Otherwise, he would have to cease being the chief minister.

The state cabinet had on April 9 recommended Thackeray’s nomination as one of the governor’s nominees in the Legislative Council.