On Friday, Election Commission of India (ECI) said that the elections to the Legislative Council (MLCs) in Maharashtra will be conducted on May 21 in Mumbai.
The poll panel today granted permission for holding elections to the Legislative Council in Maharashtra and stated that necessary guidelines will need to be ensured for safety against COVID-19 during the elections.
The polls were deferred due to the spread of coronavirus. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who was sworn in on November 28 last year, has time till May 27 to get elected to the state legislature, failing which he will have to step down. Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari had requested the Election Commission on Thursday to declare polls for nine vacant seats to the state Legislative Council.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday wrote a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) requesting it to declare polls to the nine vacant seats of the state Legislative Council "at the earliest".
Koshyari's decision to request the poll panel to hold elections comes despite the state cabinet's two recommendations to the him to nominate Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to the Upper House of the state legislature through the governor's quota. He has to get elected to either House of the legislature by May 27.
