Mumbai: Following weeks of legal and political limbo, the elections to Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) were conducted on Sunday. This could well have been the last such polls in the state as govt has proposed allowing the appointment of members only through a nomination process instead of elections. There were 60 candidates in the fray for nine seats and four panels. The overall voter turnout for the state was 13.9%. For the 8,590 doctors in Mumbai city, the polling booth was at JJ Hospital; nearly 8% of them voted. On the other hand, 7.3% of 16,668 suburban doctors voted at the Santacruz polling booth. The results will be declared on Wednesday.Leading up to the elections, there was much confusion among the medical community. First, Indian Medical Association (IMA) split into two rival factions, each claiming to be the organisation’s sole legitimate representative: the ‘Official IMA MMC Panel,’ supported by BJP-affiliated Vaidkiya Aghadi, and ‘IMA Members MMC Panel’, backed by 14 former presidents and senior members. There was also uncertainty over whether the polls would be held at all. The state govt had approached Supreme Court to scrap the elections; the plea was rejected. On Sunday, minister Ashish Shelar was spotted at the Santacruz booth in support of the BJP-backed IMA panel. “MMC elections are very important for the medical community. We have a lot of friends in the medical community in Mumbai, many of whom stood for the elections. We are supporting this panel to end all disputes,” he said.Dr Shivkumar Utture, a former president of MMC, said local politicians were seen at polling stations in other parts of Maharashtra, too.
