Excise department to seal gaps in dry day rules for elections

MUMBAI: The government is in the process of seeking guidelines from the Election Commission (EC) on how to enforce dry days in the state during the multi-phase general election. The problem is that neighbouring constituencies like Thane and Pune, Raigad and Mumbai, Raigad and Ratnagiri, Shirur and Pune, and Shirdi and Ahmednagar will vote on different days.
This means that a dry day rule in any one such place will effectively be watered down as liquor could be purchased by just crossing the constituency’s border.For example, on a dry day in Thane, people only have to drive into Mulund to get their bottles.
Excise department sources say the situation is unprecedented in Maharashtra, which for the first time will witness fourphase polls. Usually, polling is held in three phases, with polling held in regions in the state’s extremities on the same day to avoid complications in implementation of a dry day.
As per norms, a 5km periphery in Maharashtra is closed for liquor sales if elections are held in a neighbouring state. But there are no defined norms for neighbouring districts.
“There have been many judgments in the past wherein the court took objections over dry day implementation in neighbouring constituencies during bypolls. For polling in the Parel-Dadar belt, Worli-Wadala wasn’t allowed to be closed for liquor services,” revealed a senior excise official.
Dry day in a constituency begins 48 hours before the concluding time of voting. Counting day is declared as dry day.
What is the solution to the current situation? “Only EC can tell,” said an official.