The Supreme Court on Tuesday set a final deadline of January 31, 2026, for holding local body elections in Maharashtra, paving the way for polls for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic bodies across the state.
During a petition hearing, the apex court directed that all local bodies, zilla parishads, and panchayat samitis, must complete polls before January 31. It also criticised the Maharashtra State Election Commission for not adhering to its earlier schedule to conduct local body elections.
The polls have been stalled since 2022 owing to litigation over reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Major municipal corporations awaiting elections include Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayander, Kalyan-Dombivali, and Nashik.
In Mumbai, the last local body election was held in February 2017, and the five-year tenure of the elected municipal corporation ended in 2022.
During the hearing, the commission sought additional time, citing non-availability of school premises, shortage of staff, and lack of electronic voting machines (EVMs) to conduct the polls. The court, however, was not convinced.
Following the Supreme Court order, the commission is expected to expedite the election process for 29 municipal corporations, 290 municipal councils, as well as district councils and panchayat samitis. The process is set to gain momentum once the poll schedule is announced by the commission.
