The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) for failing to comply with its earlier orders and directed that all local body elections in the state, pending since 2022, must be completed by January 31, 2026, without further delay.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi expressed displeasure over repeated extensions and excuses by the SEC, which cited reasons such as delimitation, EVM shortages, and school premises being unavailable during board exams. “Elections of all local bodies, including Zila Parishads, Panchayat Samitis and municipalities, shall be conducted by January 31, 2026. No further extension shall be granted,” the bench ruled.
The court directed that the delimitation process must be completed by October 31, 2025, and made clear that exams or other logistical issues cannot be cited as grounds to postpone polls. It instructed the Maharashtra Chief Secretary to immediately deploy sufficient staff to serve as returning officers and support staff, based on requirements submitted by the SEC within two weeks. The Chief Secretary must ensure the deployment within four weeks of the SEC’s request.
Addressing the shortage of electronic voting machines, the court ordered the SEC to arrange the required units and file a compliance affidavit by November 30, 2025. Currently, 65,000 EVMs are available, but another 50,000 have been ordered.
The bench reminded the state and the SEC that elections were originally directed to be concluded within four months of its May order. “Have the elections been conducted? Your inaction speaks of incompetence. These issues were known even when we passed the first order,” Justice Kant remarked.
Petitioners opposing the extension accused the SEC of deliberately delaying the process by citing excuses ranging from festivals to staff shortages. The bench noted that the civic polls had been stalled since 2022, largely due to disputes over OBC reservation in local bodies.
