Maharashtra’s long-delayed local body elections will commence in phases after Diwali, with the process starting post-October 2025, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare announced on Tuesday. The elections, covering 29 municipal corporations, 290 municipal councils, 32 zilla parishads, and 335 panchayat samitis, are expected to conclude by mid-January 2026, following a Supreme Court directive to complete the process within four months.

Speaking to reporters in Nashik after a poll preparedness review, Waghmare outlined a staggered approach to avoid human resource constraints. “Holding all elections simultaneously would be challenging, so we will adopt a phased method,” he said, noting that the sequence will be finalized later. The elections, overdue since 2017 due to litigation over Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations, will adhere to the 2017 ward boundaries and include a 27% OBC quota, as upheld by the Supreme Court on August 4, 2025.

The court’s ruling dismissed challenges to the OBC quota and ward delimitation, affirming the state’s authority to set ward boundaries and reinforcing a May 2025 order for a 27% OBC reservation based on the pre-2022 Banthia Commission report. A lottery method will be used for OBC seat allocation, while reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) remain fixed, consistent with past practices.

Also Read: Supreme Court to Hear J&K Statehood Plea on August 8

Waghmare highlighted logistical preparations, including the use of 8,705 control units and over 17,000 voting machines, though Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems will not be employed. The voter list, finalized as of July 1, 2025, shows 50.45 lakh voters and 4,982 polling stations in the Nashik division alone. Ward boundary finalization and infrastructure readiness are underway to ensure a smooth process.

The elections, stalled since 2022 due to legal disputes over the OBC quota’s compliance with the Supreme Court’s “triple test” (empirical data, proportional reservation, and a 50% cap on total reservations), mark a significant step toward restoring grassroots democracy. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the ruling, noting it clears legal hurdles for inclusive civic polls, sparking enthusiasm among OBC communities.

Also Read: Supreme Court Axes Dheeraj Wadhawan’s Bail in Massive DHFL Loan Fraud