SC Asks Maharashtra Election Commission To Notify Local Body Elections within 4 Weeks
Moneylife Digital Team 06 May 2025
Paving the way for elections in 26 zila panchayats, 29 municipal corporations and 500 other local bodies, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra state election commission to notify local body elections in the state within four weeks. Local body elections in the state have been delayed since 2022 due to litigation related to reservation for other backward classes (OBCs).
 
A bench of justice Surya Kant and justice N Kotiswar Singh says that the contentious issue of reservation for OBC in local body polls of Maharashtra will be as it existed prior to the 2022 Banthia Commission report. "In our considered opinion, the constitutional mandate of grassroots democracy through periodical elections of the local bodies ought to be respected and ensured.”
 
The apex court accepted the commission report which recommended a census to fix exact data on OBCs and reserve 27% seats for the category in local body polls in the state.
 
While directing the state election commission to notify polls for local bodies within four weeks, the SC allowed the commission the liberty to seek an extension in case of any unforeseen issues preventing completion within the set timeline.
Comments
Meenal Mamdani
1 year ago
Now we will see if the huge number of votes in the final days of the election to the state legislature was real or fraudulent as has been asserted by INC, Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-Sharad Pawar.
Free Helpline
Legal Credit
Feedback