Local Body Elections: Supreme Court Approves New Ward Structure and 27% OBC Quota in Maharashtra
Local Body Elections: Supreme Court Approves New Ward Structure and 27% OBC Quota in Maharashtra
Pune, August 4, 2025: The long-pending elections to municipal corporations, municipal councils, Zilla Parishads, and other local self-governing bodies in Maharashtra have received the green signal from the Supreme Court. The court has approved conducting elections under the newly proposed ward structure with 27% reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), paving the way for civic polls across the state.
While hearing a petition regarding the ward restructuring of Ausa Municipal Council, the court clarified that the authority to finalize ward boundaries lies with the state government. Therefore, elections will now be conducted based on the revised ward structure approved by the Maharashtra government.
OBC Reservation Upheld
The Supreme Court also dismissed a petition challenging the 27% OBC reservation, referring to its previous ruling that permitted holding elections with OBC quotas. With this, all legal hurdles related to the quota have been removed.
Criticism for Election Commission
In earlier hearings, the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over the delay by the State Election Commission, questioning whether it truly intended to conduct the elections. With the resolution of the OBC reservation issue, the court directed the Commission to immediately issue the election notification and begin the process without further delay.
Ward Restructuring Amid Power Shifts
Over the past few years, ward structures have changed under successive governments — the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Mahayuti alliance, and the current government led by Eknath Shinde. Several petitions were filed opposing these changes. In the Ausa case, the petition demanded reverting to the pre-March 11, 2022 structure. However, the Supreme Court affirmed that defining ward boundaries is the prerogative of the state government.
Uncertainty Ends for Local Elections
In May, the Supreme Court had already directed that local body elections be completed within four months. With the latest judgment, that directive is set to take effect. The court has instructed the State Election Commission to issue the notification within four weeks, signaling that election announcements are now imminent.
