Maharashtra Dry Day Alert: No Sale Of Alcohol On Feb 7 In These Dists

Several parts of Maharashtra will see a "dry day" and a mandatory day off work this week as millions of citizens head to the polls. The state is preparing for local elections across 12 districts, including major areas like Pune, Solapur, and Kolhapur.

Changes to the Voting Schedule

The State Election Commission (SEC) recently updated the election timeline. Originally, voting was supposed to happen on February 5. However, the date has been moved to February 7. Because of this change, the results will now be counted on February 9 instead of 7.

The elections will decide the leaders for 12 Zilla Parishads (district councils) and 125 Panchayat Samitis (local blocks). The districts affected include:

Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, and Kolhapur.

Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg.

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Latur.

No Alcohol Sales

To keep the elections peaceful and fair, the government has banned the sale of alcohol in all the voting districts. This "dry day" is meant to prevent any trouble or illegal influence during the polling process. Residents in the 12 listed districts will not be able to purchase liquor at shops or bars on the day of the election.

A Paid Day Off for Workers

To make sure everyone has the chance to vote, the Maharashtra government has declared February 7 a paid holiday.

This rule applies to people working in:

• Private companies
• Factories and industries
• Shops and commercial businesses

The government's labour department noted that in the past, some companies didn't give their staff time off, which stopped people from voting. This time, the state has made it clear that employers must help their workers exercise their right to vote. Any registered voter aged 18 or older is expected to participate.