The Shinde-Fadnavis government on Wednesday tabled the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Townships Act, 1965 proposing the direct election of presidents of the municipal councils and nagar panchayats. The state cabinet on July 14 had taken the decision by scrapping the decision of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government taken in 2020 - that the presidents of these bodies would be elected by councillors and not directly by the people. The bill will be taken up for discussion before its passage in the state legislature.
The government in a bill said that elections to a large number of municipal councils and nagar panchayats are due and likely to be held in near future. ‘’With a view to ensure the smooth functioning of the municipal councils and nagar panchayats and the offices of the said presiding authorities it was decided to provide that the presidents of the municipal councils and nagar panchayats shall be elected directed by the persons whose names are included in the voters list for election to these bodies,’’ the bill reads.
Further, the terms of the offices of the President and Vice President of the municipal councils and nagar panchayats shall be five years. The requisition for removal of a directly elected president shall not be sent to the district collector within a period of two and half years from the date of his election.
The government’s move was aimed to restore the decision taken by the BJP government in 2018 but later cancelled by the MVA government. Shinde Fadnavis government insiders hope to win maximum posts of presidents of municipal councils and nagar panchayats. Both Shinde camp and BJP plan to exploit division in opposition parties to score major gains in the upcoming elections.
