The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has delivered a crucial ruling on the Maharashtra municipal council and nagar panchayat elections. The court directed that the results of all elections across the state must be declared on 21 December, even if polling for some councils is completed earlier.
The decision comes after a petition argued that delayed voting in nearly 20 municipal councils, caused by pending legal matters, could lead to discrepancies if results were announced on different days. The petition stated that the simultaneous declaration was essential to maintain fairness.
Exit Polls Allowed After Voting Ends
The court further stated that exit polls may be published half an hour after the voting process concludes on 20 December. The model code of conduct will remain in force until that date.
Candidates contesting in areas where elections were cancelled will retain their current election symbols. However, the court refused to increase spending limits for candidates who claimed financial loss due to the cancellations.
Fadnavis Criticises Election Process
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed strong dissatisfaction with the events leading up to the court ruling. He said the repeated postponement of elections and delayed announcement of results was unprecedented and pointed to systemic shortcomings.
Fadnavis emphasised that his displeasure was not directed at the Election Commission, but at what he described as lapses in the overall process. He said this was the first time he had witnessed such irregularities in the conduct of local body polls and called for an immediate improvement in procedures.
State Awaits Final Outcome
With the High Court’s clear timeline, all municipal council and nagar panchayat results will now be declared together on 21 December. For candidates and parties that have been waiting amid prolonged uncertainty, the ruling brings much-needed clarity as the state prepares for the final outcome.
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