Sanjay Raut criticises Centre's delay in Assembly poll schedule announcement for Maharashtra, Jharkhand

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Shiv Sena (UBT) Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut has criticised the Centre over the election process and questioned the delay in the announcement of the poll schedule in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where elections are due this year.

On Friday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced the schedule of elections in Haryana as well as the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J-K).

While Haryana will go for polls in a single phase, the Union Territory will vote in three phases, starting September 18. The counting will be done on October 4.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Friday said that the high demand for security forces in Jammu and Kashmir is the primary reason for not holding elections in Maharashtra.

"Last time, Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections were held together. At that time, J-K was not a factor but this time there were four elections this year and the fifth election immediately after this, which is to start with J-K, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Delhi. Depending on the requirement of forces, we have decided to conduct two elections together. We cannot announce another election in the middle of the Jammu and Kashmir elections," Kumar said.

Speaking on the issue on Sunday, Raut told reporters, "You must have seen the news coming from Jharkhand. They [the Centre] are trying to put (Chief Minister) Hemant Soren in trouble. They are trying to poach JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly). Had elections been announced in Jharkhand, the MCC (model code of conduct) would have been implemented in the state and such things would not happen. Even in Maharashtra, they wanted to give more time to the trio (Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis), which is why elections were not announced for the state."

"On the one hand, they talk about 'One nation, one election', while on the other, they cannot even conduct elections in four states simultaneously," he added.

Raut also emphasised the collaborative efforts of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition - which includes the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and the Congress, along with his Shiv Sena (UBT) - to challenge the existing state government.

On party chief Uddhav Thackeray's push for the CM's name announcement in the run-up to the upcoming Assembly elections, Raut highlighted that the choice of the candidate significantly influences public opinion.

"Uddhav Thackeray spoke with the same aim, whoever is nominated as the CM candidate, we will support him. People change their opinion by looking at the CM candidate. Had [Congress leader] Rahul Gandhi been declared the PM (Prime Ministerial) candidate on time, then we [the INDIA bloc] would have won 25 to 30 more seats in the Lok Sabha Elections," Raut said, while speaking to reporters on Sunday.

Thackeray had earlier said that he does not support the idea of the party with the maximum number of MLAs getting the CM's post. "The election commission should announce the polls for Maharashtra today; we are prepared. We will contest elections together as Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. We will see whom to make the Chief Minister. (Congress leader) Prithviraj Chavan and (NCP-SP chief Sharad) Pawar Saheb are here, and you may announce anyone as a CM candidate. I will support that name," Thackeray had said.

(With ANI inputs)