SEC Push Sets the Ball Rolling for Local Body Polls in Oct-Nov 2025

Elections will be held adhering to the timeline. Our effort is to hold the polls within four months, as directed by the SC. If there's heavy rain, we may seek an extension of 15 to 20 days. Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra

- Surendra P Gangan

MUMBAI: The state government is all set to begin the process of ward formation, nearly 10 days after the Supreme Court (SC) directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct polls in 687 urban and rural local bodies. The long-pending elections will now be held in October or November.

Speaking to the media in Pune on Thursday, ahead of a conclave for municipal commissioners and council chief executive officers (CEO), chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "Elections will be held adhering to the timeline. Our effort is to hold the polls within four months, as directed by the SC. If there's heavy rain, we may seek an extension of 15 to 20 days."

Ward formationOn May 6, the two-judge bench of SC directed the SEC to conduct the local body polls in four months and notify the same in four weeks. "We have asked the state government to start forming wards for all bodies that are expected to go to the elections. We expect it to be done in 60 to 70 days, after which we will begin the process of the ward-wise reservation which takes another 15 days.

"We are following the prevailing laws in relation to the number of members per ward, number of the wards in the local bodies, and have asked the government to go align with it. Once the process is completed, we will apprise the apex court in next hearing on September 16," said Dinesh Waghmare, state election commissioner.