Pune, 5th September 2025: On Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar suggested that elections for certain civic bodies in the state might take place in January 2026. Speaking at the 'Mukhyamantri Samruddh Panchayat Raj Abhiyan' event in Pune, Pawar urged the administration to get ready for the elections, which are pending in numerous urban and rural civic bodies, including municipal corporations, municipal councils, and zilla parishads.
He said, "Considering the process of declaring the draft delimitation of wards, seeking suggestions and objections, and finalising the wards, I am guessing that elections to some local bodies may be held next Jan. However, I am not the authority, and it is only my guess. Ultimately, the election commission will announce the schedule for the polls."
Elections for more than 2,000 local bodies have been delayed throughout the state due to a pending Supreme Court case regarding OBC reservations. The Supreme Court, noting that democratic processes should not be postponed due to procedural matters, has allowed the elections to proceed without further delay and instructed that the OBC quota be applied according to the model used prior to the 2022 report by the state backward classes commission.
