Election for Maharashtra Council's deputy chairperson on Tuesday

Election for the post of Maharashtra Legislative Council's deputy chairperson will be held on Tuesday, the council's chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar said after the state legislature's two-day monsoon session began on Monday.

The opposition BJP, however, called for postponing the election in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.

"Members are aware that the important post is lying vacant. The election for the same will be held on Tuesday," Nimbalkar said in the Council, and added that nominations for the election will be scrutinised at 5 pm on Monday.

Leader of Opposition in the Council Pravin Darekar said the election should be postponed.

"We had said (during a meeting of the business advisory committee) that the election should not be held at this juncture given the Covid-19 crisis. You can see that several members are not present in the House today. All these members will be deprived of their rights," Darekar said.

He noted that elections of all local governing bodies have also been postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We can postpone this (deputy chairpersons) election too," the BJP leader said.

The council chairman, however, maintained that it is his prerogative to schedule the election and it will be held on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar reached out to the opposition and called for electing the deputy chairperson unopposed.

"I request you (Darekar) to see that the deputy chairperson is elected unopposed. We should sit together and unanimously decide the same. We are ready for it," Pawar said.

According to sources, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, has not yet finalised the name of its candidate for the deputy chairpersons election.

The Congress is keen on contesting the election, the sources said.