Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
“The sugarcane crushing season starts in October in the State. Like every year, this year too the crushing season has started at the beginning of October. About 12 lakh to 15 lakh sugarcane workers mainly from Marathwada, Vidarbha and Khandesh have migrated to the other parts of the State or other States for this work.
In the same period, the voting for the Legislative Assembly in the State will be held on November 20.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court requesting measures to be taken to ensure that the above migrant workers are not deprived of voting in the Legislative Assembly.
The hearing of the case will be held before the HC bench comprising Justice Mangesh Patil and Justice Shailesh Brahme on November 11.
State president of Maharashtra Shramik Ustodni and Wahtuk Kamgar Sanghatna Jeevan Haribhau Rathod filed a PIL through adv Devidas Shelke and adv Sunil Rathod so that migrant workers should not be deprived of their Constitutional right to vote and should be able to exercise their right to vote.
Chief Secretary of the State, Central Election Commission, State Election Commission, Maharashtra Rajya Sakhar Sangh, Sugar Commissioner and Gopinath Munde Ustod Kamgar Kalyan Mahamandal have been made respondents in this petition.
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Request to take measures regarding voting
The Central Election Commission and the State Election Commission should take steps to ensure that the migrant sugarcane workers in the State are not deprived of their right to vote. Also, it has been requested through a PIL that the relevant respondents should instruct the concerned parties (Sakhar Sangh, Sugar Factories) to take appropriate steps to get these migrant sugarcane workers to vote.