Mumbai, Dec 1 (IANS) The Congress party on Monday slammed the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) for postponing elections in 20 Nagar Parishads and some wards, stating that it was surprising and incomprehensible.

“If it is being said that the court’s verdict forced this postponement. That verdict came on November 22, so was the State Election Commission sleeping for eight days until November 30?,” state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal asked.

Sapkal claimed that the SEC cannot even follow its own rules and that its functioning has become chaotic.

The SEC’s decision comes ahead of polling for 246 Nagar Parishads and 42 Nagar Panchayats that is slated for December 2 and counting for which will be held on December 3.

Sapkal said that elections to local bodies are being held after almost ten years. These polls are essentially for party workers, yet even here confusion has been created.

“First, the nomination process was made cumbersome; then massive errors were made in the voter lists. Duplicate and triplicate names were included. After the elections were announced, the court’s instructions regarding reservation threw the future of many Nagar Panchayats into uncertainty. And now, the elections in 20 Nagar Parishads and some wards have been postponed and a new schedule has been announced. Since the result on December 3 may also affect these elections, that result should also be announced only after voting on December 20 is held,” he demanded.

“If the Commission cannot follow its own rules, what kind of commission is this? Conducting elections in a free and transparent manner is the duty of the Election Commission, but judging by its work over the past few years, it seems the Commission is not capable of conducting elections properly,” remarked Sapkal.

Dwelling on the National Herald matter and the filing of criminal cases by the Delhi Police Crime Branch against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other party leaders, Sapkal said it was an act driven by political vendetta.

“Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are misusing power to suppress the voice of the Opposition. The National Herald case is baseless and fabricated. Several enquiries have been conducted but nothing concrete has emerged; yet, merely to defame the Gandhi family and harass them, the Union government is using state agencies to exert political pressure.

“The Gandhi family has made major contributions to the nation and has a tradition of sacrifice. Since Rahul Gandhi is working to save democracy and the Constitution against authoritarianism, such action is being taken. The Congress will not bow down to such actions. We condemn the politics of vengeance of Modi and Shah,” he said.

Sapkal questioned why the Centre, which has filed cases in the National Herald matter, has not filed criminal cases against Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar in the multi-crore Pune land scam.

–IANS

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