In a major and a controversial move, the Maharashtra government has decided to terminate elections to the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) and replace them with a nomination-based system for appointing members.

This decision has led to a strong reaction from doctors and medical groups especially because it came soon after the BJP-backed panel lost badly in the recent MMC elections.

The Maharashtra government has changed the law so that members of the Maharashtra Medical Council will no longer be chosen through elections by doctors. Instead, the government will appoint them directly.

Right now, the council has nine elected members and nine government-appointed members. Under the new plan, the election system will be completely removed, and all members will be appointed by the government.

The government has claimed the move is intended to make the council more "efficient" on the lines of the National Medical Commission (NMC). It also plans to increase the number of council members from 18 to 23.

However, several doctors' associations and senior medical professionals have questioned the timing of the decision.

The controversy intensified after the BJP-backed "Official IMA MMC Panel" performed poorly in the recent elections, while the "IMA Members Panel" won eight seats.

Critics say the government is trying to take political control of an independent medical body by stopping elections.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government had tried to stop the MMC elections, and the matter reached the Supreme Court. But the court refused to stop the polls and ordered that the elections should happen as planned.