After Thackeray threat, confusion in Maharashtra over simultaneous polls

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, October 21

Even as Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters on Saturday that assembly elections will not be held together with the Lok Sabha polls in the state, the state’s finance department is preparing for such an eventuality.

The state’s finance minister, Sudhir Mungantiwar, told reporters here that the official machinery is prepared with funds and manpower if assembly elections have to be held with the Lok Sabha polls which are due next May.

The term of the state legislature is due to expire in October next year.

However, with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray stating that his outfit will contest the next Lok Sabha elections on its own, a section of the BJP leaders in the state fear that the regional party could pull a surprise and withdraw from the government.

According to sources, BJP president Amit Shah during his visit to Mumbai last week had discussed the proposal of holding simultaneous elections in Maharashtra.

However, several BJP MLAs who are worried about their seats reportedly told him that poor monsoons in the state this year would hurt their chances.

On Sunday, Fadnavis sought to assuage his party colleagues that elections to the state assembly would not be advanced in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘One Nation, One Poll’ formula.

“The government will complete its term in office,” Fadnavis told reporters. He, however, extended support to the idea of holding simultaneous polls.

“It will become a reality only after the necessary constitutional amendments are made,” the chief minister said.

On the other hand, Mungantiwar felt that simultaneous polls in the state would help Maharashtra reduce expenditure dedicated to electioneering.