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Appeal filed in Bombay High Court challenging the panel system for civic elections

Thane Municipal Corporation elections will take place in March 2017.

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The ripple effect of the new panel system are already felt as two Thanekars have filed a writ petition in Bombay high court on Wednesday, challenging the panel system. The municipal corporation elections, would be held under a panel system, with either two wards being clubbed together to form a panel or with four wards clubbed together for the same.

The Thane Municipal Corporation's (TMC) polls will take place in March 2017. On September 28, Thanekars Shailesh Karnik and Vasant Apaji Gurav filed petition in Bombay HC (high court) challenging the state election commission, TMC, Urban development department, and state government's ordinance passed back in May, making amendments to section 5 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act.

"This amendment has been done with malafide intention by the government so that it benefits bigger parties," says advocate Aumkar Rajurkar who has filed the petition on behalf of Karnik and Gurav. The amendment has led to an outcry among independent candidates as they say that bigger parties like Shiv Sena and BJP will be able to score better in elections. Now instead of campaigning in one ward the candidate has to do it in four wards thus, quadrupling the legwork and the expenses required.This is not feasible for a small time candidate as instead of reaching out to a ward of 20,000 people he has to now reach out to 1 lakh people," says advocate Aumkar Rajurkar and adds, "We have challenged the constitutional validity of the amendment and the matter will come up for hearing soon," he says.

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