With the assembly elections in Maharashtra concluded, focus has now shifted to the long-overdue local body elections, which have not been held for four years. A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court to demand immediate action regarding this delay.
Vijay Sagar, the head of the Pune division of the All India Consumer Panchayat, filed the PIL through Advocate Satya Mulye. The petition urges the State Election Commission to conduct municipal elections without further delay. The Supreme Court is set to hear the case on January 22, a date when important decisions about the elections, including their timeline, are expected to be announced.
For the past two to four years, local governance in the state has been managed by administrators across 29 municipal corporations, 257 municipalities, 26 district councils, and 289 panchayat committees. The lack of elected representatives has led to numerous complaints from citizens regarding unresolved civic issues.
The elections were initially postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by delays related to ward formation and the contentious issue of political reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs). However, with the Supreme Court likely to intervene, political parties are preparing for the elections, which are anticipated to occur in the coming months. The outcome of the January 22 hearing will be crucial in shaping the future of local governance in Maharashtra, as citizens await a solution to the extended administrative control over local bodies.