Maharashtra government has declared a paid holiday for all public sector employees on the voting day for the Lok Sabha Elections in the state. According to a notification issued by the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations Maharashtra employees will get one day off on the polling days of April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20 to exercise their right to vote. A government circular has been issued in this regard.
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On the other hand, if voters who are workers, officials, employees, etc., stationed outside the voting area due to work-related reasons, they will still be entitled to cast their vote on the day of the election by availing of a paid leave for voting. The right to vote is a constitutional right, thus every person over the age of 18 is entitled to vote in India. The exercise of this right is important for India’s electoral democracy, thus, a citizen must not be denied the opportunity to vote, as per the constitution. Owing to this, the Representation of People Act, 1951, (RP Act), mandates that every enterprise must declare a holiday on the polling day in their area. This provision is applicable to both public and private organisations.
Maharashtra will vote in five phases in the upcoming general election. Voting will be held from April 19 to May 20.Voting for the 18th Lok Sabha will be held from April 19 to June 1.Maharashtra is the most significant political state in the country since it sends 48 members to the lower house – the second highest among all the states. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the BJP won 23 of the 48 seats in the state while its then ally Shiv Sena secured 18 seats. The NCP won 4 seats while Congress managed to bag just 1. Since the previous general election, the political equations in Maharashtra have changed significantly with two major parties witnessing a vertical split. Both Shiv Sena and NCP, which were part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government with Congress, have suffered internal split after the rebellion led by chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Ajit Pawar respectively.