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Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde has announced a waiver of toll fees for light vehicles in the state. The timing of the decision has triggered uproar among the state’s parties just ahead of assembly elections.
Maharashtra government announced exemption for toll fees for non commercial vehicles.
So why has Chief Minister Eknath Shinde waved the toll fees?
The simple and straight answer? Maharashtra polls are just weeks away. The Chief minister announced on October 14th that the toll charged on light motor vehicles and non-commercial vehicles will be scrapped.
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The move came just a day before the Election Commission of India announced the poll dates for the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
The Mahayuti government is staring at a particularly tough election. With this scheme, the party will aim to woo the state’s middle-class voters.
The controversial toll fee has been removed years after opposition from public and parties alike.
The cabinet approved 19 other decisions including the toll waiver. In the run-up to the assembly polls, the Shinde led cabinet has passed 165 decisions in six meetings since September this year.
Which are the other decisions approved by the cabinet?
Apart from the toll waiver, the government also announced other major decisions.
In bid to woo voters, a teachers welfare scheme has also been rolled out. A career development scheme for teachers employed in social work colleges will be introduced.
A plan for improving irrigation has also been approved. It passed the Damaganga- Ekdare-Godavari connection scheme.
The Maharashtra state skill development university will be renamed as the Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skill development University.
How did the opposition respond to the cabinet approval?
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena ‘s chief Raj Thackeray hijacked the credit for the waiver. He claimed that the decision was a response to years of agitation by his party workers and supporters.
Shiv Sena MLA Aditya Thackeray criticised the move, terming it a pre-poll “jumla”.
On expected lines, Maha Vikas Aghadi slammed the decision and called it a bid to appease voters.
Congress Spokesperson Gopal Tiwari questioned the Mahayuti government’s intentions and asked how such waivers can be approved when the term of the government is coming to an end.
Will the poll-eve waiver impress voters?
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