PUNE: There is no difference of opinion among members of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra over the multi-member ward system for civic body elections, deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar claimed on Friday.
Pawar, guardian minister of Pune district, was talking to the media after a COVID-19 review meeting here.
The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government earlier this week announced that in municipal corporations each ward will have a panel of three corporators while wards of municipal councils will have two-member panels.
But Congress, a member of the MVA, is opposed to this system.
"As an individual party they (MVA constituents) have their own views about the number of members in a ward. However, we are all together...whatever may be the decision on the ward structure, it will be agreable to all three parties. We will discuss the ward structure issue in the cabinet meeting next week," Pawar, an NCP leader, told reporters.
Talking about relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in Pune, Pawar said last week professional swimmers were allowed to use swimming pools, and from the next week ordinary citizens too will be allowed entry at pools provided they have taken two shots of coronavirus vaccines.
But people must keep wearing masks and he had given instructions to police to take strict action if norms are violated, the deputy CM said.
He also opined that the present gap of 84 days between two doses of coronavirus vaccines should be reduced, and said he would speak to the Union government about this.