Maharashtra Local Body Elections Postponed Over Symbol Irregularities
The State Election Commission (SEC) of Maharashtra has taken the drastic step of postponing elections in several local bodies just three days before scheduled polling, following the discovery of serious irregularities in the allotment of election symbols to candidates. The commission found that returning officers had illegally assigned symbols in cases where appeals against nomination scrutiny were either pending, decided late, or not heard at all by district courts.
Widespread Violation of Election Rules
Calling it a clear violation of election rules, the SEC stated that the irregular handling of appeals, delayed rulings, missing written decisions, unheard matters, and ongoing court cases had severely compromised the integrity of the entire election process. Consequently, the commission declared all such symbol allotments made after November 26 as "illegal".
SEC Secretary Suresh Kakani explained in a letter, "Despite appeals being decided on or after November 23, without written orders or without being heard, returning officers proceeded with symbol allotment without providing the mandatory three-day withdrawal window." This mandatory period is required under Rule 17(1)(b) of the Maharashtra Municipal Election Rules, 1966.
Affected Areas and New Polling Date
The directive impacts numerous local bodies across the state. Significant affected areas include:
- All 59 wards in Ambernath
- Six of the 49 wards in Badlapur
- Six of 17 local bodies in Pune district
- Multiple municipal councils and wards across Marathwada region
Notably, voting in the remaining 43 wards in Badlapur municipal council will proceed as scheduled on December 2. The revised election notification is expected to be announced on December 4, with fresh polling now scheduled for December 20 in the affected areas.
The decision came after Pune collector Jitendra Dudi submitted a detailed report to the SEC stating that elections in Baramati, Phursungi-Uruli Devachi, Talegaon Dabhade, Lonavla, Daund, and Saswad required postponement since district courts had delivered decisions on nomination-related appeals beyond the November 22 deadline set by the commission.
Regional Impact and Political Fallout
The postponement has particularly affected the Marathwada region. In Nanded district, polls to Mukhed and Dharmabad municipal councils, along with one ward each in Bhokar, Loha, and Kundalwadi municipal councils, have been deferred. Similar delays affect Vasmat municipal council in Hingoli and two wards in Hingoli municipal council.
In Parbhani, elections to two wards from Purna municipal council and one ward in Jintur municipal council will now see polling on December 20. Beed district witnessed deferment of polls for four wards each in Ambajogai and Parli municipal councils and one ward each in local self-governing bodies of Beed and Kille Dharur. Districts including Chandrapur, Akola, Gadchiroli, and Amravati have also been affected.
The SEC's last-minute order, coming on the second last day of campaigning, left candidates in severely affected areas like Ambernath deeply disappointed. All political parties had completed intensive campaigning and preparations for the original voting day. Meanwhile, in partially affected areas like Badlapur, election campaigning continued actively in wards not impacted by the postponement.
In a related political development in Badlapur, seven of the 16 Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates announced they would not support their own party's nominee for municipal council president, Priya Gawli, instead declaring support for Ruchita Ghorpade from BJP.
The SEC has directed collectors to compile comprehensive lists of all affected seats and bodies, certify that Rule 17(1)(b) was not followed, and implement a revised election schedule. In cases where appeals pertain to the post of chairman, as with Ambernath, the election for the entire municipal council or nagar panchayat has been deferred.
This development occurs against the backdrop of the Supreme Court recently clearing the decks for the SEC to proceed with election processes in municipal corporations, zilla panchayats, and panchayat samitis where total reservation does not exceed the 50% cap. The court stated that results of the 57 local bodies where reservation exceeds 50% would be subject to the outcome of pending petitions, scheduled for hearing on January 21.
