Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Supriya Sule has called for the complete cancellation of the recently held civic body elections in Maharashtra. She has raised serious allegations against the State Election Commission (SEC) and the Election Commission of India (EC), questioning their impartiality and the conduct of the polls.
Allegations of Electoral Malpractice and Bias
Speaking on Tuesday, Sule expressed deep concern over the manner in which the local body elections were conducted. She asserted that the entire election process should be scrapped. "Considering the way it was held with the ruling alliance allegedly using money power in the elections," Sule stated, justifying her demand for cancellation.
She criticized the SEC's decision-making, pointing out inconsistencies in the polling schedule. "I don't know how the State Election Commission (SEC) selectively withheld polls in a few civic bodies days before the actual polling. In a few civic bodies, polling is taking place and in a few it has been postponed. It is unfortunate the way the elections are being conducted," the NCP leader said.
Sule also connected this issue to a longer-standing dispute, revealing that her party has been engaged in a battle with the Election Commission for over two and a half years regarding the allocation of the party name and symbol.
Legal Interventions and Postponed Results
The electoral process has been mired in legal challenges. On Sunday, the SEC officially announced that polls for certain wards and civic bodies were being postponed due to these legal hurdles.
Adding a significant twist, the Bombay High Court issued an order on Tuesday concerning the results. The court restricted the declaration of results for polls held on December 2, which were originally scheduled for December 3. Instead, the High Court directed that all results be declared together on December 21. This unified declaration will follow the postponed elections, which are now set to be held on December 20.
A Threat to Democracy and Unprecedented Use of Resources
Supriya Sule framed the actions of the election commissions as a danger to democratic institutions. "The EC is an autonomous body and it should be impartial but has been facing allegations of wrongdoing from across the society," she said, emphasizing that such a scenario is harmful for democracy.
She noted that criticism of the EC is widespread, citing even Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's reported displeasure with how the civic polls were conducted. "If the CM is upset then why will the common person believe in the EC," Sule questioned.
The NCP leader made specific allegations of excessive spending and resource use by the ruling alliance. "It is for the first time that airplanes and helicopters were rampantly used by those in power for transporting their leaders for campaigning across the state," she claimed.
She also highlighted the issue of cash distribution during elections, drawing a stark contrast with national policy. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought demonetisation to finish black money but in Maharashtra where the BJP is in power money is freely distributed during election," Sule alleged. She concluded by stating that the final results of these civic polls would be viewed with doubt due to the alleged influence of money power.
