'Hold BMC elections first': Raj Thackeray to Centre as Cabinet clears 'one nation, one election' proposal

A day after Union Cabinet accepted a high-level panel's recommendations for simultaneous elections, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray on Thursday said if the Centre was so concerned about the 'one nation, one election' reform, it should first hold polls to the civic bodies in Maharashtra. 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections have been due since 2022. The elections were initially scheduled to take place in that year, but they have been delayed multiple times due to redrawing of ward boundaries and legal challenges. The delay has also been attributed to political developments and administrative decisions, leaving the BMC under an administrator's rule since its term expired. 

"If so much importance is being given to elections, then first hold civic body polls," Raj Thackeray said in a post on X on Wednesday, noting that by October many civic bodies will be running under administrators for more than four years. While the Union Cabinet has approved a recommendation for simultaneous elections by a high-level panel, it must also consider views of the states, the MNS chief said. 

Thackeray, who had backed the NDA in the Lok Sabha polls but has decided to contest all 288 seats in the assembly elections, also sought to know what happens if a state government collapses or an assembly is dissolved, or if there are mid-term Lok Sabha polls in the country.

The central government on Wednesday accepted a high-level panel's recommendations for holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies in a phased manner.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the Cabinet's decision, saying it will be a giant stride towards landmark electoral reforms in the country. Various opposition parties including the Congress and AIMIM, however, have said holding simultaneous polls is not practical.

Asserting that several political parties are already on board, the central government said even the parties opposed to it may now feel pressure from within to change their stand due to widespread support on the issue from the people of the country.