MVA government to scrap direct election of mayors

MVA government to scrap direct election of mayors

MUMBAI: In another setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has decided to scrap the earlier decision on the direct election for municipal councils chairman (mayor) and voting rights to all eligible farmers in Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC). Earlier, farmers would choose members and chairman of the APMCs in their jurisdiction.

The State cabinet on Wednesday gave nod to scrap the decision.

Now, the municipal council president will be elected by the councillors and not directly by the people, which was the case before 2002 in the State. This will be applicable in 223 municipal councils in State, categorised as A, B and C.

The government will amend the Maharashtra Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayat and Industrial Township Rules, 1965.

The members of APMC and various market panels that function under the APMC will be elected by the members of gram panchayats, agriculture credit societies and multi-purpose co-operative societies and not by farmers.

This will be done as per the provisions of the Maharashtra APMC (Development and Regulation) Act of 1963.

While implementing this, the BJP had argued that providing voting rights to farmers was necessary to make the election process wider, open, transparent and representative, as the election by the members of gram panchayats, agriculture credit societies and multipurpose cooperative societies was open to manipulation.

In May 2016, the BJP government had introduced the direct election of the municipal council president and provided voting rights to eligible farmers to elect members of APMC in March 2017.

The amendment in these two decisions by the BJP government was aimed to checkmate Congress and NCP, who had their presence in municipal councils and enjoyed a dominant position in most of the 300-plus APMCs. BJP gained as the party won the municipal council president election in most of these bodies.

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