Supreme Court Sets January 2026 Deadline for Overdue Maharashtra Local Body Polls
The Supreme Court has mandated that Maharashtra's long-delayed local body elections must be held by January 31, 2026. Criticizing the State Election Commission (SEC) for failing to meet previous deadlines, the court called this a "one-time concession." Polls for 27 municipal corporations and hundreds of other local bodies have been stalled since 2022 over an OBC reservation dispute, leaving them run by administrators. The ruling aims to restore grassroots democracy for millions of citizens across the state.
Unpacked:
The elections were delayed due to a legal dispute over the implementation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations, specifically regarding the adequacy of data supporting the need for such reservations in local bodies.
The Banthia Commission, set up in March 2022, recommended 27% OBC reservation in local bodies. Its report is controversial because it allegedly did not fulfill the Supreme Court’s requirement of collecting adequate empirical data on political backwardness, leading to legal challenges.
The Supreme Court ordered that OBC reservations be set at the percentage that existed before the Banthia Commission’s 2022 report, and the elections will proceed subject to the outcome of ongoing legal challenges to the Commission’s recommendations.
Due to the delays, hundreds of local bodies and 27 municipal corporations have been run by appointed administrators instead of elected representatives, raising concerns about the lack of grassroots democracy and accountability.