The Supreme Court Tuesday, September 16, took place on January 31, 2026, as the final deadline for having carried out all the local elections pending in the Maharashtra, issuing a severe warning to the Electoral Commission of the State (SEC) and the State Government for repeated delays.
A bench of judges Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi directed that the elections to all the delay of Zila, the Samitis de Panchayat and the municipalities must be completed on the stipulated date, clearly indicating that no other extension will be granted.
The court also ordered the completion of the delimitation exercise by October 31, 2025 and said that the process could not be used as a reason to postpone the elections.
“The elections of all local organizations … will be carried out by January 2026. No other extension will be granted to the State or to the Electoral Commission of the State,” said the bench.
The instructions of the Supreme Court intervened after the SEC did not respect its May 6 order, which had asked that the polls be warned in the four weeks and ended in the four months.
Expressing dissatisfaction, the bench said: “We are forced to observe that the dry has not taken rapid measures for the compliance of the instructions of this court in the prescribed calendar.”
The SEC had cited reasons such as the unavailability of electronic voting machines (EVM), the lack of school premises due to the exams of the board of directors and the shortage of personnel for delay.
However, the court rejected these justifications as administrative laxity, noting that the exams of the board of directors are only scheduled for March 2026 and cannot be an excuse for pushing polls beyond January.
The judges said that if the SEC required logistical support, it must approach the court before October 31, 2025 and that no appeal would be entertained later.
With this order, the Apex Court provided a final concession to the dry and the government of the State while holding them responsible for ensuring that democratic processes at the local body level are not yet delayed.
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