Elections Likely by Year-End as SEC Sets Timeline for Preparatory Steps
Mumbai, May 20 – The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has initiated the crucial process of ward formation across the state, marking a major step toward conducting long-delayed local body elections. This follows the Supreme Court’s directive on May 6, which paved the way for elections that had been stalled for over five years due to the contentious issue of Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation.State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare confirmed that formalities have commenced and elections could be held by the end of 2025. "The process of ward formation will take about 70 days, followed by 15 days for reservations and 40 days for updating electoral rolls. We are targeting elections by the end of this year," he said.
Apex Court Clears Path for Polls
The Supreme Court had directed the SEC to notify the election schedule within four weeks, removing the last legal hurdle. It accepted the recommendations of the Banthia Commission, which was constituted in March 2022 to evaluate the issue of OBC reservation. The Commission had recommended a 27 per cent quota for OBCs in local bodies, within the 50 per cent constitutional ceiling for reservations.The court ruled that the reservation system should revert to the structure existing before the Banthia Commission’s 2022 findings, but also acknowledged the need for a scientific data-backed approach to OBC representation, endorsing a fresh census to accurately determine their proportion.
Local Bodies Under Administrators Since Term Expiry
At present, all 29 municipal corporations, 248 Nagar Parishads, 42 Nagar Panchayats, 32 Zilla Parishads, and 336 Panchayat Samitis are under administrative rule, as their terms have expired. Notably, the terms of 27 municipal corporations lapsed between 2020 and 2023. Ichalkaranji and Jalna have been newly declared as municipal corporations.Waghmare explained the delays were due to multiple legal and administrative issues, including challenges related to ward formation, number of members, and the powers exercised by the state government in these matters.
Focus on Mumbai and Key Political Dynamics
In Mumbai, the elections for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be held for 227 seats, not 236 as previously proposed.The upcoming local body elections are expected to serve as a litmus test for the political alliances in Maharashtra. The Mahayuti coalition — comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — is likely to contest as a bloc, though BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has indicated flexibility for local-level variations.
On the other side, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), is deliberating on its strategy. Congress has empowered its local units to make election decisions, while Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is in consultation with his party cadre. NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil has urged party members to begin preparations.
