Maharashtra polls: Campaigning to end at 10 pm on Dec 1, says SEC

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 PTIIn an official statement the SEC stated that the polling for municipal council and nagar panchayat in Maharashtra will be held on December 2Under 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 pollingThe SEC clarified that once the deadline passes political parties and candidates will be barred from holding campaign meetings organising marches or using loudspeakers for canvassingThe publication or broadcast of electionrelated advertisements will also be prohibited according to the PTIThe SEC added that all local body elections are conducted strictly in accordance with the statutory provisions governing municipal councils and nagar panchayatsMeanwhile 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 PTIAccording 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 franchiseVoting for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats spread across Maharashtra will take place in the first phase of the longdelayed urban and rural local body electionsThe 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 timeoff preventing many people from casting their vote according to the PTIThe GR also cited provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1951 which mandate that employers must grant paid leave to voters on election dayThe 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 constituencyEstablishments 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 statedUnits providing essential or continuous services must grant two to three hours of special leave if granting a fullday holiday is not feasible the GR added as per the PTIThe Maharashtra government has warned that any failure to provide paid leave or adequate timeoff will attract action if complaints are lodgedThe state governments GR also includes a detailed list of the municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state where polling will take place on December 2with PTI inputs