Maharashtra Assembly Elections: CEC calls for crackdown on political violence in state

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar raised concerns on Tuesday about politically motivated crimes in Maharashtra, urging the state's Director General of Police to implement a strict crackdown on such activities that disrupt the electoral environment and compromise fairness, reported ANI citing sources.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) held a review meeting with the Chief Secretary, DGP, and other senior officials from Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and neighbouring states to evaluate the law-and-order situation ahead of the ongoing assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, according to sources.

Earlier this month, after the brutal murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, the Chief Election Commissioner emphasised a zero-tolerance approach to preventing violence, particularly against political figures, as the Model Code of Conduct took effect in Maharashtra. In response to concerns raised after Siddique's killing and the ongoing issue of urban apathy towards voting, the CEC had stated that they will instruct the police to ensure that no form of violence occurs.


"After the MCC declaration, we will make it extremely clear to the police authorities in a particular state that you are mentioning that violence of any kind and a crime of this nature, which has political overtones, would be absolutely a no-go area for the commission," Kumar said.

Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister who joined the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in February after leaving the Congress, was ambushed by three men at Kher Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area, just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office, and was shot dead on on 12 October.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies on November 23. In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, BJP had won 105 seats and its then ally Shiv Sena (undivided) 56. The NCP (undivided), which was part of the UPA, bagged 54 constituencies and Congress 44.