State Elections Proceed Despite Deputy Chief's Death

Despite the tragic death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, state elections for Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti will proceed as scheduled. The State Election Commission clarified that there's no legal provision allowing postponement due to a constitutional authority's passing during the election period.

In the wake of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's unexpected death, state officials have confirmed that Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections will continue as planned on February 5. The State Election Commission has asserted that the official mourning period does not interfere with the electoral process.

Pawar, aged 66, tragically died in a plane crash along with four others at Baramati airport, leaving a significant gap in the BJP-led state coalition government and raising concerns about the Nationalist Congress Party's future. Nevertheless, the election laws do not allow for postponement due to such constitutional crises.

The three-day state mourning will end on January 30, well before the elections. The SEC has stated that only under specific circumstances, like overlapping national mourning, can election dates be altered. Presently, no such overlap exists, and the elections will proceed accordingly.