CM makes big announcement: Four-member panel structure back again !

This decision will change the election game plan in more than 18 municipalities in the state, say political experts.

The BJP-backed Eknath Shinde government announced the reintroduction of the four member Prabhag system for the forthcoming civic polls in Maharashtra. This has seen as a major blow to the Mahavikas Aghadi.

This announcement is sure to affect all political parties as well, as election preparations were currently going on as per the three-ward structure. This will be of no use now.

It is certainly an advantage for the BJP as the BJP government had dominated many municipalities in the state in 2017, when four-ward structure was followed.

When the Mahavikas Aghadi government made it three wards and divided them into constituencies, allegedly as per their convenience, there was objection.

The number of wards in many municipalities were also increased by the MVA government. These decisions have been reversed by the Shinde government in the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.

A memorandum was given to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis by party leader Chandrasekhar Bawankule demanding immediate cancellation of the unauthorised increase in the number of members in the local bodies by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

According to Bawankule, the Mahavikas Aghadi government has increased the number of members in local self-government bodies such as Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti, Municipality and Municipal Corporation.

The membership of these local bodies is increased on the basis of census. Once the membership is increased as per 2011 census, the number can then be increased only as per 2021 census. Bawankule asked how this decision was approved by the State Election Commission.

It was only after going through his memorandum that the newly formed government decided to cancel the three-member ward structure.