The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) is actively considering a significant shift in its election schedule, potentially conducting polls for 29 municipal corporations before elections for rural zilla parishads (ZP) and panchayat samitis (PS). This strategic rethink comes in the wake of a recent Supreme Court order.
Supreme Court Directive Spurs Schedule Rethink
A senior SEC official revealed that the commission is evaluating a "safe route" where clear directions exist. The Supreme Court, last week, gave the green signal for conducting local body polls in the state. However, it specifically cleared the path for elections in all urban local bodies, while not detailing the procedure for rural bodies where the 50% reservation limit for Other Backward Classes (OBC) has been exceeded.
This legal clarity for urban areas has prompted the SEC to contemplate advancing the municipal corporation elections, which were initially slated for the third and final phase of the local body polls. "Now that the apex court has clearly given go ahead to election in all urban bodies, the process can be initiated," the official stated.
Reservation Hurdle in Rural Areas
The primary complication lies in the rural local bodies. In Maharashtra, 17 out of 32 zilla parishads and 88 out of 336 panchayat samitis have crossed the mandated 50% political reservation ceiling. The Supreme Court's silence on how to proceed in these areas has left their electoral fate uncertain.
In contrast, the court's order effectively permits elections in all 29 municipal corporations, including Nagpur and Chandrapur, even though they have marginally crossed the 50% reservation mark. This disparity in legal standing is a key driver behind the SEC's new consideration.
December 4 Meeting to Chart the Course
To deliberate on the logistical and procedural aspects of this potential change, the SEC has called for a video-conference with all municipal commissioners on December 4. This meeting is strategically scheduled a day after the revised deadline for submitting objections to the voters' lists for urban areas.
The commission has already adjusted key electoral deadlines for urban regions. The last date for filing objections to the voters' list, earlier set for November 27, has been extended to December 3. Consequently, the publication of the final voters' list has been pushed from December 5 to December 10.
"Once the final voters list is announced, the SEC can announce the election anytime. Therefore, the meeting with municipal commissioners is being held on December 4... It will give a clear idea how to move further," explained the officer.
The official further clarified that the current directive is to hold elections only in local bodies not crossing the 50% reservation limit. With 17 ZPs and 88 PSs above this threshold, their elections remain in limbo. "Holding rest of the ZP and PS elections now would keep the fate of others hanging," he said, indicating a preference for prioritizing urban polls.
Currently, administrators run most of the rural bodies. Out of 34 zilla parishads, 32 have administrators, with only Bhandara and Gondia being exceptions. Similarly, administrators govern 336 of the 351 panchayat samitis where elections are due. The terms of the administrators for Bhandara and Gondia ZPs are set to expire in May 2027.
