PTI file photo
PUNE: The fate of 57 local bodies in Maharashtra – 39 won by Mahayuti, 17 by MVA, and one by others – awaits SC’s verdict on Jan 21 as these are among the 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats where the combined quota for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes exceeds 50%.Acting on several petitions challenging the breach of quota limit, the apex court on Nov 29 said the election to these 57 seats would be subject to its final order. The verdict will also impact the results for the councillor posts in these civic bodies.”While the results were declared, those will depend on the final order,” an official from the state election commission (SEC) said Monday.Despite a decisive lead, Mahayuti will have to wait for clarity on 39 of its victories (BJP: 30, Shiv Sena: five, NCP: four). The situation is no different for MVA’s 17 wins (Congress: 11, Shiv Sena-UBT: two, NCP-SP: four). A senior BJP politician said, “The mandate clearly favours Mahayuti, but we will respect the Supreme Court’s decision.””Nearly two-fifths of our victories are under scrutiny. These reflect people’s mandate at the grassroots, and we hope the court ensures stability and does not unsettle elected bodies,” a Congress member said. Of Mahayuti’s tally, the 39 local bodies that breached the 50% quota mark make up nearly 18.8% of its total wins. For MVA, the 17 bodies constitute about 38.6% of its victories.Of the 40 municipal councils, eight are in Nagpur district followed by seven in Chandrapur and five in Nashik.
