Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, May 20: After a prolonged legal and political deadlock, Maharashtra is now poised to hold long-pending local body elections by the end of this year. The State Election Commission has begun the crucial process of ward formation, following a Supreme Court directive issued earlier this month.
State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare confirmed that the groundwork for polls has commenced, stating, “The process of ward formation will take around 70 days, followed by a 15-day reservation procedure and 40 days for electoral roll updates. If everything goes as per schedule, local body elections can be held before the end of this year.”
The development comes after the apex court, on May 6, instructed the Maharashtra State Election Commission to notify the polls within four weeks, effectively reviving the electoral process stalled for over five years. The delay was primarily due to the contentious issue of OBC reservation in local governing bodies.
The tenures of all 29 municipal corporations, 248 Nagar Parishads, 42 Nagar Panchayats, 32 Zilla Parishads, and 336 Panchayat Samitis have expired. Most of these bodies, including 27 municipal corporations whose terms ended between 2020 and 2023, are currently functioning under government-appointed administrators.
Notably, Ichalkaranji and Jalna have been newly granted municipal corporation status and will be going to the polls for the first time.
The Supreme Court ruled that the OBC reservation will remain as it was prior to the 2022 Banthia Commission report. The court also accepted the commission’s recommendation to earmark 27% reservation for OBCs, within the 50% total ceiling mandated by law.
The Banthia Commission, formed in March 2022, had conducted an extensive census to determine the OBC population, paving the way for restoring the reservation in local bodies.
Amid speculation about increasing the number of wards in Mumbai, Commissioner Waghmare clarified that the elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be conducted for the existing 227 seats, not the proposed 236.
As the state inches closer to polls, political temperatures are already rising. The elections are being dubbed a “mini Vidhan Sabha” and are expected to set the tone for future state politics.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—is preparing for a joint fight, though Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has hinted that allies may go solo in select regions based on local dynamics.
On the other hand, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—which includes Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP), and the Congress—is yet to announce a unified strategy. While Congress has left decision-making to its local units, Thackeray has said he is consulting party cadres, and NCP(SP) leader Jayant Patil has asked his workers to begin preparations.
With stakes high and political equations constantly evolving, the Maharashtra local body polls promise to be a gripping prelude to the state’s next Assembly elections.