The State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday announced that campaigning for the Maharashtra local body elections will end at 10 pm on December 1, reported the PTI.
In an official statement, the SEC stated that the polling for municipal council and nagar panchayat in Maharashtra will be held on December 2.
Under the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Townships Act, 1965, all forms of public campaigning must come to a complete halt from 10 pm on the day before polling.
The SEC clarified that once the deadline passes, political parties and candidates will be barred from holding campaign meetings, organising marches, or using loudspeakers for canvassing.
The publication or broadcast of election-related advertisements will also be prohibited, according to the PTI.
The SEC added that all local body elections are conducted strictly in accordance with the statutory provisions governing municipal councils and nagar panchayats.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has announced a paid holiday on December 2 for employees across various establishments and workplaces to enable them to vote in the elections to municipal councils and nagar panchayats, reported the PTI.
According to a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Friday, employees in districts where polling will be held on Tuesday, December 2, are entitled to paid leave to exercise their franchise.
Voting for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats, spread across Maharashtra, will take place in the first phase of the long-delayed urban and rural local body elections.
The Industries, Energy and Labour Departments stated that the decision aims to ensure every eligible citizen is able to vote. The GR noted that, during previous elections, some establishments had failed to provide paid leave or adequate time-off, preventing many people from casting their vote, according to the PTI.
The GR also cited provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which mandate that employers must grant paid leave to voters on election day.
The directive will apply to all workers, employees and officers who are registered voters in the polling areas, regardless of whether their place of work lies within or outside the constituency.
Establishments under the Maharashtra Labour Department — including factories, shops, hotels, commercial establishments, IT firms, malls and retail outlets — must comply with the norms issued through the GR, it stated.
Units providing essential or continuous services must grant two to three hours of special leave if granting a full-day holiday is not feasible, the GR added, as per the PTI.
The Maharashtra government has warned that any failure to provide paid leave or adequate time-off will attract action if complaints are lodged.
The state government`s GR also includes a detailed list of the municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state where polling will take place on December 2.
(with PTI inputs)
