.jpg?w=640&h=360&fit=crop&crop=smart "Supreme Court Clears Path For 27% OBC Quota In Maharashtra Local Body Polls")
The Supreme Court has upheld the implementation of 27% OBC reservation in Maharashtra’s upcoming local body elections.
Petitions challenging both the reservation and the 2022 ward delimitation structure were dismissed.
The court confirmed that ward restructuring is the state government's prerogative, removing legal hurdles for quota enforcement.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the Supreme Court’s latest decision has removed legal roadblocks and confirmed that local body elections in the state can proceed with a 27 per cent quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
According to PTI, Fadnavis told reporters that, "The apex court had already directed on May 6 that local body polls be held as per the 2017 OBC quota. This has been reaffirmed today." He added that the 2022 ward delimitation law has been scrapped, allowing the full implementation of OBC reservation.
State minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal welcomed the verdict and urged authorities to restore the ward structures that existed before 2022. According to Bhujbal, the ruling clears the way for implementing OBC reservation in local self-government institutions without further judicial obstruction, as reported by PTI.
Bhujbal pointed out that the court dismissed petitions challenging the reservation, including one claiming the lack of data on OBCs and another advocating for pre-2022 ward structures. He noted that earlier, elections in 91 local bodies were held without OBC reservation due to these legal challenges.
He explained that while the Nirgudkar Commission’s initial data was rejected, the state later constituted the Bantiya Commission. However, discrepancies in data, such as misclassification of surnames like "Gaikwad" across multiple communities, weakened representation in certain regions, as per PTI.
Bhujbal clarified that the Supreme Court’s ruling in May 2025 supported a 27 per cent reservation and that the recent decision reinforces that directive. The court also confirmed that ward and constituency restructuring falls under the state government’s jurisdiction.
With the ruling in place, the state government is expected to move forward with elections under the revised structures while ensuring the implementation of the OBC quota as mandated.
