Local body elections in the state have been postponed again because the issue of OBC reservation remains unresolved. A hearing on this topic is currently taking place in the Supreme Court, and it was expected that a decision would be made today. However, the court has delayed the hearing until February 25, which means the elections will be pushed back by at least another month.
This delay is due to ongoing debates regarding OBC reservation. Advocate Tushar Mehta represented the state government during the hearing and stressed the need to resolve this issue. Despite the postponement, the Supreme Court has not blocked the local body elections, allowing for further discussions.
Political parties had started preparing for the local body elections after the assembly elections in December. The Thackeray faction has stated its intention to contest the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections independently, with former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray actively meeting with party leaders. However, the continued postponement of the local body elections has led to increasing frustration among these parties.
While some parties and groups have asked the Supreme Court to speed up the election process, the state government has requested that the court first resolve the OBC reservation issue before proceeding. The ongoing legal proceedings are likely to significantly impact the timeline for these much-delayed elections.