MUMBAI: Following directions from the Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench, the State Election Commission has postponed the local body polls result to December 21 instead of December 3.
The local body elections for Nagar Panchayat and Parishad voting were held on Tuesday, and the results were initially scheduled for December 3. However, after the court’s instructions, the counting has been rescheduled to December 21, alongside the results of other local body elections. Voting for the remaining local bodies is set for December 20.
The court also directed that no person shall publish or publicise, through print, electronic media, or any other means, any exit poll results during the period starting from the beginning of polling hours on December 2 until half an hour after the polls close on December 20. The court further stated that the model code of conduct will continue to apply until the declaration of results.
The opposition raised questions over the delay in announcing the counting day, despite the schedule set by the State Election Commission. Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said that he has witnessed several elections but has never seen such a change to the election result schedule announced on the day of voting. He alleged that the public is losing trust in the election process due to manipulations by the ruling party.
“We have seen how people with bogus Aadhar and election ID were casting their votes. Our congress workers identified these bogus voters and informed the police, but no action was taken against the bogus voters. Now, there is a delay in the election result. All are very surprising,” Sapkal said.