New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday reprimanded the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) for failing to adhere to the court-mandated schedule for holding local body elections in the state.
Granting an extension as a one-time concession, the court directed that all local body elections in Maharashtra must be completed by January 31, 2026. It also ordered that the delimitation process be completed by October 31, 2025, making it clear that delimitation cannot be used as a ground for further postponement.
A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi expressed displeasure over the SEC’s non-compliance with its May 6 order, which had mandated the completion of elections within four months.
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24 Sept 2025
The SEC’s counsel informed the court that delimitation work for municipalities was still underway, while the process for district councils and panchayat samitis had been completed. The Commission also cited reasons such as the shortage of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), unavailability of school premises due to board exams, and delays in staff recruitment as hurdles in conducting polls.
Rejecting these arguments, the bench observed, “We are constrained to hold that the State Election Commission has failed to take prompt action to comply with this court’s directions within the stipulated time.” The court further noted that since board exams are scheduled for March 2026, they cannot be a valid ground for delaying elections.
