Although all parties are gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, if you visit any party headquarters in Maharashtra, you will easily find a corporator lobbying with senior leaders for a civic election ticket.
Meanwhile, the civic body elections, which have been due for more than two years, are unlikely to be held before 2025. Till then, the administrators will continue to rule the civic corporations.
WHY 2025?
It’s been more than two years that the elections to the 27 corporations are pending. The year 2024, too, will disappoint them as the general elections are likely in May, which may defer their polls.
A few months after the Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra will face the assembly elections, likely in the October-December period. Ahead of the state polls, the alliances could change, leaving the corporation aspirants in uncertainty.
BEST OUT OF WORST
Even though the scenario is against democracy, it is a golden opportunity for officers who really want to bring about a change in the city where they work, without the pressure from corporators.
People usually cast votes on the basis of the work done by a corporator. So, corporators always try to implement new schemes in their wards and get more funds for it.
This popular anecdote from the civic circles explains the pressure much better. A few MLAs of the same region met a Chief Minister once and sought funds for development of the region. Coincidentally, the CM was also from the same region. The CM told them that if he agreed to their demand, the opposition would accuse him of favouritism towards people from his region. So he suggested that the MLAs hold protests against him, alleging the CM wasn’t releasing funds for his own region. After the stir, the CM immediately signed the file and released the funds.
This is how the pressure tactics work even on the local level.
DELAY NOT HEALTHY
Generally, every four-five years, all parties get a new batch of fresh leaders. Corporation or zilla parishad or local self-body elections are seen as incubation centres for these young leaders, where they learn the basics. If a new batch doesn’t come in four-five years, it could have a long-lasting effect on state politics.
While people in power are pointing fingers at the courts, where the quota issue is pending, the Opposition parties blame the state government. The voters, meanwhile, remain clueless and continue to be ruled by administrators, which is not a good sign for democracy.
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