5 months ago
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Amid Opposition parties' allegations of irregularities successful filing of nominations for the upcoming civic polls, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has sought reports from the municipal corporations wherever candidates from the ruling parties person been elected unopposed.
The canvass assemblage volition cheque if immoderate unit was applied, allurement was fixed oregon immoderate coercive means utilized against opponents to retreat their nominations for unopposed election, officials said.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations successful the State volition beryllium held connected January 15, and the counting of votes volition instrumentality spot the adjacent day. December 30 was the past time for filing nominations.
Five BJP and 4 Shiv Sena candidates successful Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) successful Thane territory person been elected unopposed arsenic determination are nary candidates successful the fray against them. In Pimpri Chinchwad (in Pune district), Jalgaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar civic bodies, astatine slightest 1 BJP campaigner has been elected unopposed.
"The SEC has decided to question reports from the civic authorities to cheque if determination was usage of coercive means, unit oregon allurement to the hostile candidates to retreat their nominations. The SEC volition not let the returning officers of these wards to denote the predetermination of the ruling enactment candidates until the reports are submitted," an authoritative said.
"The SEC has been getting complaints of coercive means by ruling parties and the predetermination machinery preventing candidates from filing nominations. Candidates from Congress, Janata Dal (S) and AAP person alleged that they were unlawfully prevented from filing nominations nether unit successful 3 wards successful Colaba successful Mumbai," helium said.
The SEC volition question reports from 9 wards from the authorities from these bodies wherever candidates person been elected unopposed, according to the official.
"We volition get a study astir the candidates being elected unopposed aft the past day of withdrawal, which is January 3. After that, reports volition beryllium sought from returning officers, municipal commissioner (in-charge of the polls) and constabulary commissioners of the respective municipal corporations to cheque if determination was immoderate unit oregon allurement fixed to opponents to retreat information oregon immoderate coercive means utilized for unopposed elections," the authoritative said.
Sources said that until the reports are received from these 3 authorities, the Returning Officer (RO) would not beryllium allowed to denote the respective candidates elected unopposed.
Another authoritative said that these instances of the unopposed predetermination successful municipal corporations, particularly erstwhile the fights are multi-corner and stakes are precocious are surprising. Though we person received conscionable a fistful of the complaints, the fig is expected to beryllium precocious astatine section level," helium said.
"In lawsuit the study substantiates usurpation of rules oregon prevention of filing of nomination, the SEC tin instrumentality enactment lone against the RO and determination is nary proviso of allowing the candidates to record nominations arsenic the past time has been lapsed," the authoritative said.
The SEC has sought a study from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner connected the alleged unit by Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar connected the returning serviceman for preventing different candidates from filing nominations. The BMC commissioner has besides been asked to surface the CCTV footage and cheque the details connected the records with the Returning Officer of Ward A.
The SEC has besides received a ailment against the returning serviceman for not allowing them to capable the information and beingness of Narwekar wrong the hallway wherever the nominations were being filed.
"We person sought a study from BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, who is besides the territory predetermination commissioner, connected the allegations for preventing candidates from filing nominations. We have, successful a missive sent to Gagrani person asked to taxable the study connected the allegations and besides by checking the CCTV footage wrong the bureau of the Returning Officer. We are expecting the study to beryllium submitted soon," an SEC authoritative said.
Narwekar, however, called the allegations "baseless" and said each campaigner who was contiguous successful the RO bureau earlier 5 p.m. connected December 30 was fixed an accidental to record the nominations.
