Supreme Court Extends Maharashtra Local Body Election Deadline
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has extended the September 30 deadline for completing local body elections in Maharashtra by four months to January 31 next year. The court criticized the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) for its failure to finish the delimitation process and for not securing sufficient electronic voting machines (EVMs) and polling staff.
While the court granted the SEC’s request for an extension for elections to zilla parishads, panchayat samitis, and municipalities, a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi expressed frustration at the SEC’s excuses, noting that the commission had received a four-month extension just months ago on May 6.
The SEC reported that it had completed the delimitation process for zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, but was still working on municipalities. It indicated a need for an additional 50,000 EVMs, having only about 60,000 in stock. The commission also raised concerns about staffing difficulties due to the forthcoming festive season and board examinations scheduled for March 2024.
The bench reprimanded the SEC for its lack of foresight, questioning why the commission was unaware of such requirements: “Are local body elections being held for the first time in Maharashtra? All these show your inaction and incompetence,” they stated.
The court directed the Maharashtra government to provide the necessary polling staff and returning officers to the SEC by the end of November and mandated that the elections be completed by January 31, warning that no further extensions would be granted. It also instructed the SEC to submit periodic compliance reports detailing the acquisition of EVMs, the voter list, and polling staff.
On May 6, a prior ruling by the court allowed elections to proceed based on Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations in constituencies, as they were prior to July 2010, given that the recommendations from the Banthia Commission had not been fully implemented. Many local bodies have not held elections for years due to a Supreme Court status quo order from August 2022 on petitions challenging a state ordinance that provided for a 27% OBC reservation in these bodies based on the Banthia Commission’s recommendations.
