Supreme Court Denounces Plea to Delay Maharashtra's Local Body Polls

The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition against the delimitation process for local body elections in Maharashtra, labeling it as a delay tactic. The court insisted elections occur soon, especially where quotas have been breached, and criticized non-compliance from the state's election commission.

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition challenging the validity of the delimitation process concerning local body elections in Maharashtra, calling it a tactic to delay the polls.

During a prior hearing, the court had instructed the Maharashtra government and the state election commission to expedite the overdue elections, emphasizing that results of bodies with breached quota limits would be dependent on its final ruling.

The Supreme Court has set January 21, 2026, for a detailed hearing on the 27 pending cases regarding Other Backward Class reservations in local bodies.

On Monday, this new petition came before Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. 'This seems to be a ploy to delay the polls,' observed the bench, noting that no further barriers should impede the election process.

Refusing to entertain a challenge against a previous Bombay High Court order, the top court pointed out prior non-compliance by the state election commission and directed that elections stalled since 2022 be completed by January 31, 2026.

(With inputs from agencies.)