Maha Assembly Speaker rejects Cong demand to initiate impeachment proceedings against SEC
Nagpur, December 10 – The Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Rahul Narwekar, rejected a request from former Speaker and senior Congress member Nana Patole to launch impeachment proceedings against the State Election Commissioner (SEC) on Wednesday.
Patole has blamed the SEC for “chaos and irregularities” that he says marred the recent local body elections in the state.
In his ruling, the speaker explained that Patole’s appeal was outside the Assembly’s jurisdiction and did not align with a recent Supreme Court decision on the impeachment of a High Court judge.
Patole has accused the SEC of “strangling democracy in broad daylight”, asserting that voters’ confusion and distress stem from the commission’s lack of responsibility. He cited Article 243 of the Constitution, arguing that acknowledging any irregularities would compel the initiation of impeachment.
He also argued that because the Chief Minister himself acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the irregularities, the SEC must be impeached under Article 243.
Earlier in the week, Patole openly challenged the ruling MahaYuti government to bring a motion; he warned that failing to act would mean the government was “shielding the SEC”.
Chief Minister M. G. Fadnavis expressed frustration over the SEC’s decision to postpone elections in certain constituencies until December 20. “I can’t understand how they’re interpreting the rules to do this. I’ve spoken with several experts, including a lawyer, and, to my knowledge, there is no provision for postponing polls a day before the scheduled elections,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) criticized the SEC, calling its abrupt postponement of elections—scheduled to begin in 24 municipal councils and 154 wards across 76 municipal councils and panchayats— a calculated political ploy. “The democratic process in Maharashtra has been thrown into disarray. The SEC has proven that its intentions are not in the right place, and it does not have the authority to halt elections so suddenly,” the party said.
In a particularly biting editorial in the Thackeray‑backed mouthpiece “Saamana”, the editorial team denounced the SEC as a “joker” in the political arena, claiming the government, and “especially the BJP”, had turned the Election Commission into a prop. “It’s a premeditated mess designed to ensure a benefit for the BJP,” the piece asserted.
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