Mumbai, Oct 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) In response to widespread drought conditions across the state affecting the Kharif 2026 season, the Maharashtra government has issued an order to postpone elections for all eligible cooperative societies in drought-declared districts, effective immediately.
The decision was announced through Government Resolution (GR) by the Cooperation Department late Tuesday night. Based on evaluations under the Drought Management Code 2016 and reports from the Commissioner of Agriculture, the government initially identified Trigger-1 conditions across 265 talukas. Subsequent data incorporating Trigger-1 and Trigger-2 assessments elevated the total count to 304 drought-affected talukas across the state.
With severe drought conditions prevailing, various government departments, including Revenue, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Cooperation, Rural Development, and Water Supply, are heavily engaged in relief work. Continuing election processes would divert vital administrative staff and officials away from urgent drought mitigation efforts, said the GR.
The government noted that participating in election processes would cause significant inconvenience to farmers and members residing in drought-hit regions. While the GR halts elections across most cooperative bodies in the affected districts from their current stages until further notice, specific categories have been exempted, including Cooperative Housing Societies, any cooperative society where the High Court or Supreme Court has specifically ordered elections to be conducted and societies where the nomination stage of the election process had already commenced prior to the date of the GR.
Government sources cited examples where the politically crucial elections to the District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) were underway. "In Ahilyanagar, of the 21 seats, 11 have already been elected unopposed, but the election for the balance of 10 seats was pending. With yesterday's GR, the elections for 10 seats have been postponed for six months. Similarly, in Satara DCCB, of the 21 seats, nine have already been elected unopposed, and now the elections for 12 seats have been postponed for six months."
The state has previously rolled out comprehensive relief packages for the 304 affected talukas under government resolutions dated September 25 and October 14. These measures include crop loan restructuring, suspension of agricultural loan recoveries, waivers on current electricity bills for agricultural pumps, provision of drinking water via tankers, fodder availability for livestock, and expanded employment under the Employment Guarantee Scheme.
The state cabinet on Tuesday announced to pay, as an advance, Rs 5,000 to each of the 1.50 crore farmers from drought-hit districts before Diwali.
Source: IANS
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