Maharashtra’s local body election results will now be declared on December 21, a move initiated by the State Election Commission following a Bombay High Court order. The original announcement date of December 3 has been revised to prevent potential manipulation of the electoral process.
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, through Justices Anil S. Kilor and Rajneesh R. Vyas, observed that releasing results in stages could unfairly influence voters in subsequent polling periods. This judicial intervention was prompted by petitions from several municipal wards, including Warora and Gondia, which challenged the commission’s phased approach to vote counting and result dissemination.
The core argument from the petitioners was the need for all results within a municipal council to be announced concurrently on a single day. Following Tuesday’s completion of voting for Nagar Panchayats and Parishads, the counting process has been rescheduled. The new counting date of December 21 will encompass these results as well as those from other local body elections scheduled for December 20.
Concerns regarding the election’s conduct have also been voiced by opposition leaders. Congress leader Nana Patole accused the Election Commission of compromising democratic systems and urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to initiate impeachment proceedings, stating the Congress party’s support for such a move. Patole highlighted the Maharashtra local body elections as a clear example of how democratic processes are being undermined.
Harshwardhan Sapkal, leading the Maharashtra Congress, also criticized the election administration, pointing to administrative oversights and discrepancies. He alleged that the Election Commission was acting in alignment with the Chief Minister’s directives, citing the extended voting period and delayed counting as evidence of bias. Sapkal estimated that approximately 25,000 complaints might have been filed across the state, contending that the election had dealt a severe blow to democracy.