SEC tells urban, rural development departments to start delimitation process for local body polls
Pune: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday directed the urban and rural development departments to initiate the delimitation process, following the Supreme Court's order on local body elections in Maharashtra.A source in the SEC said they had started the process according to the court's order, updated late Tuesday evening.
Subsequently, the departments were issued the delimitation process directive.The Supreme Court (SC) cleared the way for long-pending local body elections in the state, stalled because of litigation over the OBC quota. A senior SEC official said, "Delimitation process will commence for all pending elections — municipal corporations, nagar parishads, nagar panchayats, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis. The process is expected to take 40 days. Local bodies should issue notifications for ward formations without delay."The SEC will seek legal counsel on the issue of OBC reservation within this 40-day period. Consultations with a senior advocate are under way."The SC has upheld the July 2022 status quo on OBC reservations, but earlier judgments need to be factored in. Whether to implement a flat 27% quota, follow the 2021 ordinance (27% within a 50% cap) or apply the 'triple test' from the December 2021 SC order requires legal clarity," the source said.Once the delimitation process is complete, reservation roster and ward-wise voter lists would be drawn up. The SEC will then assess if elections can be conducted within the four-month window set by the court, based on the availability of voting machines, polling staff and weather conditions."We haven't decided yet on seeking more time. That call will be taken only after the delimitation process concludes," the source in the SEC said.A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh reaffirmed the constitutional mandate for regular local elections, stating that the OBC reservation must be maintained as it existed before the
Banthia Commission report
. The commission had recommended a 27% OBC quota in local body polls.The state's local body polls are stalled since 2022 because of the ongoing legal disputes, including challenges to the Banthia report. The SC in its interim order directed the SEC to notify elections within four weeks and complete the process in four months, unless an extension was sought through the court.
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