Pune: In a bid to ensure a fair, peaceful, and unbiased electoral process, District Collector Doctor Suhas Diwase has issued a directive mandating the observance of dry days 48 hours prior to the scheduled polling dates and on the day of vote counting for the upcoming Lok Sabha general elections in Pune district.
Polling for the Maval, Pune, and Shirur Lok Sabha constituencies is slated for the fourth phase on May 13. In anticipation of this crucial electoral event, all sales of liquor, toddy, and related excise licenses are to be suspended. The prohibition will be enforced from 6 p.m. on May 11 until 6 p.m. on May 13, with an additional dry day on June 4, coinciding with the vote-counting process.
During the specified dry days, license holders within the electoral constituencies affected by the order are permitted to continue manufacturing alcoholic beverages. However, they are strictly prohibited from supplying domestic or foreign liquor within these areas. Similarly, sales licenses cannot be distributed to establishments within the designated dry zones.
The order emphasises stringent repercussions for any infringement, with violators subject to legal action under the Maharashtra Liquor Prohibition Act, 1949, and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
