Pune: When the Election Commission (ECI) announced the dates for elections in some states, it became evident that the polls in Maharashtra would not take place before Diwali. The panel announced the dates for Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir, and said the schedule for Maharashtra and Jharkhand would be announced later. Since then, speculation has swirled over which party would benefit from this delay.

Holding the polls in Maharashtra will be a challenge in terms of getting the election staff ready and putting in place security arrangements. The ECI made it clear that the election was being planned taking into consideration the weather (monsoon conditions), the long festive season (Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, Diwali) and other factors.

Opposition parties have alleged that the postponement was designed so the ruling party could benefit from recently announced schemes such as the Ladki Bahin Yojana. They have claimed that the government is going to take much longer than initially anticipated to roll out the schemes. The administration wants to deposit at least three installments into the accounts of women and farmers before the election is held, they have said.

Congress Says, ‘People Will Not Forget Actions Of Reckless Govt’

Congress chief state spokesperson Atul Londhe-Patil told that no matter how much the election is delayed, the people will not “forget” the actions of this “reckless government”. “It is really shocking the way things are happening. Incidents such as the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue show how reckless this government is”, he said.

“Whether the election is held two months from now or later, it will not make any difference. The people will vote the Mahayuti government out of power,” he said.

BJP Says, ‘Opposition Is Scared’

Asked if the delay will affect the poll results, BJP spokesperson Ajit Chavan said: “People are happy with the Ladki Bahin Yojana and other schemes that our government has rolled out. The opposition is scared about its prospects. Whether the elections take place now or later, the people are with us.”

Spokespersons might toe the party line, but equations on the ground are constantly changing. The Mahayuti might benefit from the newly announced schemes, but clashes between the alliance partners over seat sharing, and disputes between party leaders and aspirants over various constituencies are increasing. That means the more the delay, the more the chances of people rebelling against the ruling alliance. To make it worse, the past few days have seen a number of incidents that reflect badly on the government, like the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Konkan region. Will these incidents damage the ruling party, or will they fade from public memory? Only time will tell.