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After the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the next battle between political parties in Maharashtra continues to get delayed as the Supreme Court will now hold the next hearing on petitions related to civic elections. on February 25. This has disappointed aspirants and political parties who were preparing for the civic polls that have been delayed due to various petitions in the apex court challenging the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation.
In the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the five-year term of the previous elected body ended three years ago in 2022. Since then, the governing body has been under the control of an administrator.
“We want the PMC elections to be held as early as possible and are hoping that the Supreme Court will soon go ahead,” said Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol, who was the previous PMC mayor. The BJP is always in campaign mode, ensuring its preparedness to maintain control over the PMC, said a BJP leader.
Pune NCP (SP) chief Prashant Jagtap said it was due to the failure of the state election commission to submit an affidavit on its preparedness for holding civic polls that it was getting delayed. “As a petitioner, I am aware that the Supreme Court two-and-a-half years ago urged the state election commission to submit its plan for holding civic elections, but it has not filed an affidavit till now,” he said, adding that the civic polls are unlikely to be held anytime soon.
AAP state convener Vijay Kumbhar said the elections of all local bodies in the state got delayed for many years. “The court heard all the petitions today filed regarding OBC reservation. It is now clear that the municipal elections will be further delayed,” he said.
Ambadas Danve, a leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), said the Supreme Court may announce its decision regarding the civic polls at any time. However, he noted that conducting the actual elections will take more time due to the need to address issues related to the census, seat reservations, and the reconstitution of electoral wards. The Congress wants independent participation in civic elections to strengthen its base; however, the final decision will rest with the party leadership.
NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar recently stated that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had mentioned that the party cadre wished to contest civic polls independently but had not taken a stand to part ways with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance partners.
The local body elections are expected to be intense following the Mahayuti alliance’s dominance in the Assembly elections, while the MVA excelled in the Lok Sabha elections.
There are 27 municipal corporations, 243 municipal councils, 37 nagar panchayats, 26 zilla parishads, and 289 panchayat samitis where elections have been delayed. The lack of a local elected representative has negatively affected public services, Mohol stated, adding that elected representatives are usually more accessible than civic administration for resolving civic issues.
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena city unit has stated that it wishes to contest the majority of seats in the PMC elections to strengthen the party base.
