Hold Maharashtra local body elections by January 31: SC
The Supreme Court has told Maharashtra's election officials they must hold local body elections by January 31, 2026.
The state had missed earlier deadlines, citing insufficient EVM machines, the school education board's examinations, and an insufficient number of officers.
Right now, administrators—not elected leaders—are running 29 city corporations and other local bodies, which has raised worries about the lack of grassroots democracy.
OBC reservations debate complicates things
A big reason for the delay is the ongoing debate over OBC (Other Backward Classes) reservations in these elections.
The state missed a key deadline back in 2021 to fulfill the Supreme Court's three-fold test for identifying eligible communities, and its latest report from 2022 is still being challenged in court.
Because of this, some recent elections happened without OBC seats, shifting them to general category—a move that's sparked more legal battles and uncertainty about when true representation will return.