AMC halts election work till SEC order

Aurangabad, July 13:

The election branch of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) suspended the election works after the Supreme Court refrained the state government from declaring a new election programme when it submitted Banthiya Commission Report in connection with OBC reservation in the local self-governing bodies (on July 12). The election process has been set aside for an indefinite period till the AMC receives a fresh order from the State Election Commission (SEC).

The AMC deputy commissioner (election) Santosh Tengale said,” The election programme of AMC was not yet declared. We will be waiting for the fresh directives from the SEC. During the hearing on OBC reservation in the Apex Court, the state government submitted the report of the former chief secretary Jayantkumar Banthiya, who was appointed to collect OBCs empirical data. In response to it, the Supreme Court refrained from announcing a new election programme. The court also made it clear that the elections could not be stopped at the places where the election programme had already been declared.”

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It may be noted that an alert citizen Ravindra Shriniwas Deshmukh has complained to SEC demanding strict action against the officers and personnel involved in drafting a rough draft on the delimitation of prabhags under political pressure and violating confidentiality. The rough draft had gone viral on social media. Taking cognizance of it, the SEC issued a letter to the AMC commissioner A K Pandey and informed him to intimate the commission about the action he has taken in this regard at his level. The letter was sent by SEC’s desk officer Pradeep Parab.