Bombay HC Delays Maharashtra Local Poll Results to Dec 21

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra State Election Commission to postpone the counting of votes and declaration of results for local body elections from December 3 to December 21, a move aimed at ensuring fairness in the ongoing polls across the state. The order came as voting concluded for 222 municipal councils and 42 municipal panchayats, following postponements in several areas due to irregularities and pending court cases.

Polling took place on Tuesday amid reports of violence in multiple locations, including clashes over alleged bogus voting as political parties accused one another of misconduct. The State Election Commission announced a final turnout of 67.63 percent on Wednesday evening, after compiling data from district levels. Voting had originally been scheduled for 246 municipal councils and 42 panchayats, but was deferred in 24 civic bodies to December 20 because of issues related to withdrawal timelines and symbol allocation. Additionally, elections in 154 wards across 76 other municipal councils and panchayats were also rescheduled to that date. The highest turnout was recorded in Murgud municipal council in Kolhapur...