The BRICS TimesState Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal accused the Election Commission of serious mismanagement and negligence regarding the abrupt postponement of local body elections. He also labeled the National Herald case as political vendetta.
The Sudden Poll Delay Sparks Political Row
The sudden decision to postpone elections for municipalities and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra has become a major political issue. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Harshvardhan Sapkal raised serious questions. He stated that the State Election Commission (EC) is failing to follow its own rules. Sapkal further alleged that the EC’s functioning is completely disorganized and chaotic.
Questions Over EC’s Eight-Day Delay
The decision to defer elections for 20 municipalities and some divisions shocked everyone. This happened just one day before the vote. Sapkal mockingly questioned the EC’s delay. He asked what the Election Commission was doing for eight whole days. This period was between the court’s November 22 order and November 30. Sapkal alleged that this negligence proves the EC is unable to follow its own established guidelines.
Allegations of Massive Irregularities
Sapkal pointed out that local self-governance body elections are happening after nearly ten years. These polls are extremely important for political workers. However, the EC made several mistakes right from the start. He claimed the nomination process was made unnecessarily complex. The voters list also contained massive errors. A large number of duplicate and triplicate names were added.
He mentioned that court directions regarding reservations left many nagar panchayats in limbo. Now, the polls for 20 municipalities and a few divisions are postponed. New dates have already been announced. Sapkal suggested that the court’s December 3 decision might affect these polls. Therefore, he demanded that the December 3 results be announced only after the December 20 voting. He questioned the legitimacy of an EC that cannot adhere to its own mandates. He stated the EC is responsible for fair and transparent elections. Harshvardhan Sapkal said the EC is clearly failing in this duty.
Congress Accuses BJP of Political Vendetta
Following the EC issue, Sapkal also strongly reacted to the new National Herald case. He stated that the cases filed against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other senior leaders are purely motivated by political revenge. Sapkal directly accused Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He alleged they are misusing their power to suppress opposition voices.
Attempt to Defame the Gandhi Family
Sapkal highlighted that the National Herald case has seen many previous investigations. Yet, nothing substantial was ever proven. Despite this, he claimed the government is using probe agencies. Their goal is only to harass and defame the Gandhi family.
He asserted that the Gandhi family has always sacrificed for the nation. Rahul Gandhi is fighting to save democracy and the constitution. Sapkal claimed this is why the ruling party is targeting them. Harshvardhan Sapkal raised a major question regarding the government’s sincerity. He asked why Central Minister Murli Dhar Mohol and Parth Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s son, have no case against them. This is despite alleged multi-crore land scam charges. He stated this double standard clearly shows the National Herald case is simply revenge politics.
Our Party Will Not Be Intimidated
Sapkal confirmed that the Congress party will not be scared by any legal action or political pressure. He condemned the revenge politics of Modi-Shah. The Congress is fully prepared to fight every battle to protect democracy.
