Mumbai will have three consecutive dry days starting Saturday on account of Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections held on June 25. The ban will be effective for 48 hours and will come to an end after the polling hours conclude.
Apart from Mumbai, the sale and distribution of liquor will be banned in other districts of the state, including Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ratnagiri Sindhudurg before the polling day. In Mumbai, a teachers’ and a graduates’ constituency will go to the polls on June 25.
Maharashtra district collectors are empowered to impose a prohibition on sale and distribution of liquor for any general election, by-election to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, as per the rules under the Maharashtra Prohibition Act of 1949.
Maharashtra has nine official dry days in a calendar year.
Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR) has expressed its frustration over the ban. They believe that frequent dry days will mean a lot of loss for their business.