Schools to remain shut for MLC polls

Mumbai: With the Legislative Council elections for the teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies for Mumbai and Konkan scheduled for Monday, the University of Mumbai (MU) has instructed all departments and colleges affiliated with it to allow registered teachers and professors to take a leave to exercise their franchise. The colleges will, however, remain functional. Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Muni-cipal Corporation (BMC) education officer has declared a holiday on June 25 for all government and private aided and unaided schools to facilitate voting among teachers. However, most schools have stated that they will remain open as they do not have registered teachers who are eligible to vote.

According to a circular issued by the registrar of MU, college and managements have been instructed that, as the elections are important and all registered teachers and professors need to participate in the same, they should be allowed to take a leave on the day. The leave will be considered as a paid leave. However, there are no instructions in regard to the functioning of colleges and departments, which implies that there will be no holiday for students.

Elections are to be held for four seats of the Council, namely the Nashik teachers’ constituency, the Mumbai teachers’ constituency, the Mumbai graduate constituency and the Konkan graduate constituency. In all three constituencies, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena are contesting against each other while Opposition parties such as the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and other like-minded parties have joined hands. The Konkan graduate constituency election has become prestige battle for chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as well as NCP chief Sharad Pawar as both campaigned for their respective candidates.