Supreme Court Directs Maharashtra Govt To Complete Local Body Elections By January 31, 2026
Supreme Court Directs Maharashtra Govt To Complete Local Body Elections By January 31, 2026
New Delhi, September 16, 2025: The Supreme Court has directed that all local body elections in Maharashtra must be completed by January 31, 2026. The bench, comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Jyamala Bagchi, expressed displeasure over the repeated delays and pulled up the State Election Commission for failing to conduct the polls on time.
During the hearing, the apex court noted that elections were expected to be held within four months, but despite the timeline, the state government sought further extensions. The bench remarked that this was nothing but deliberate delay, warning that if the process continued at this pace, elections might never be held even by 2026.
Appearing on behalf of the state, officials informed the court that while Maharashtra currently has 65,000 voting machines, an additional 55,000 machines are still required. They cited logistical challenges, ongoing ward delimitation in municipal corporations, and upcoming board examinations as reasons for the postponement.
However, the court firmly rejected these justifications, emphasizing that elections cannot be delayed indefinitely under such pretexts. The bench observed that the responsibility of ensuring democratic processes lies with the Election Commission and the state, and failure to conduct timely elections undermines the democratic fabric of governance.
The Supreme Court’s directive now makes it mandatory for the State Election Commission to complete the entire local body election process across Maharashtra before the January 31, 2026 deadline.
