New Delhi: In a stern message from the country’s top court, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Maharashtra to hold all long-pending local body elections no later than 31 January 2026. The bench, led by Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, expressed sharp displeasure with the State Election Commission (SEC) for repeatedly missing earlier deadlines and offering what the judges called “unconvincing excuses.”
Background
Local elections across Maharashtra-covering 29 municipal corporations, Zila Parishads, and Panchayat Samitis-have been in limbo since 2022. The trigger was a dispute over Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations, which stalled the polls midway. Earlier this year, in May, the Supreme Court had already given the SEC four months-until September 2025-to wrap up the process. Yet when the matter came up again, not a single election notification had been issued.
Court’s Observations
Inside a packed courtroom, Justice Kant’s tone was unmistakably sharp. “Have local body elections taken place or not?” he asked at the very start, cutting through the pleasantries.
The SEC’s counsel tried to explain that delimitation of wards was still in progress and voter lists were being readied. But when he sought an extension until January 2026, the bench reacted with visible frustration.
“You want to take a jump from September to January? Why should we grant you so much time?” Justice Kant questioned.
When the lawyer pointed to staff shortages, ongoing school board exams, and the need for 50,000 extra electronic voting machines (EVMs), the judge was unmoved. “Are you conducting these elections for the first time? Your inaction speaks that you are incompetent,” he remarked.
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Petitioners’ counsel accused the SEC of deliberately dragging its feet. “They have started everything afresh. Even delimitation is not finalised in many cases,” the lawyer argued, warning that at this pace, polls might slip beyond January 2026 as well.
Decision
After hearing all sides, the bench issued a strict timetable. The delimitation of all local bodies must finish by 31 October 2025. The Chief Secretary of Maharashtra has to ensure enough staff is deployed, with details to be provided by the SEC within two weeks and officers assigned within four weeks after that.
For the much-discussed EVM shortage, the Court directed the SEC to procure machines and file a compliance report by 30 November 2025.
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Rejecting the plea that school board exams justified any delay, Justice Kant noted dryly, “Board exams are usually in March.”
Finally, the Court ordered: “All elections, including Zila Parishads, Panchayat Samitis and municipal bodies, shall be conducted by 31 January 2026. No further extension shall be granted.”
And with that crisp directive, the gavel came down, leaving the State Election Commission with no room for excuses this time.
Case: Rahul Ramesh Wagh v. State of Maharashtra & Others
Date of Order: 16 September 2025
