BJP and Shiv Sena government led by current Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis re-approved four decisions originally taken by the Fadnavis-led government (2014-2019) which were later scrapped by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray. 

 

Giving farmers voting rights in the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) elections was one of the decisions that was reinstated; this was something that the BJP-Sena government had originally done to weaken the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress’ control over cooperative bodies in the state. The cabinet declared that farmers who are at least 18 years old, own more than 0.25 acres of land, and have sold their produce at least three times at a specific APMC market in the previous five years are eligible to vote. The decision to grant pensions to political activists who were imprisoned from 1975 to 1977 under the Emergency was also reinstated. 3,600 of these activists are qualified for pension in the state.The pension amount ranges from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 depending upon the jail term of the activists.The scheme was first started in 2018 under the Fadnavis government but was later discontinued by the Uddhav Thackeray-led government of Maha Vikas Agadi. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on this said “”Similar pension schemes were started in many states 10-15 years ago. Although most of the activists who were jailed for protesting to save the democracy were from the Jan Sangh, there were others too. My own father was jailed for two years,”.

 

Also the Shinde administration reinstated direct elections for the positions of sarpanch and head of the municipal council. This decision will have a significant impact, according to officials, as several rural local bodies in the state will be holding elections in the coming months. According to the decision made on Thursday, the municipal council president’s term has been increased from 2.5 years to 5 years, and for the first 2.5 years, a motion of no confidence cannot be filed. Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis said “At the moment there is a process to elect the sarpanch from the gram panchayat members. Most of the states have opted for direct elections for the sarpanch’s post. If an indirect election takes place, the deserving candidate is left in the lurch despite winning owing to money power,”. This decision was earlier taken for the first time in 2017, but the MVA government overturned it by tabling a bill in 2020.

 

 

 

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