The Bombay High Court (HC) has halted the declaration of results for all Maharashtra local body elections until 21 December 2025, sharply criticising the state election commission (SEC) for postponing polls in several constituencies at the eleventh hour. In a strong rebuke, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay HC says that announcing phase-wise results would risk influencing voters in constituencies where polling has been pushed to 20 December 2025, creating what the judges described as a potential 'bandwagon effect' capable of altering electoral choices. The Aurangabad Bench of the HC even criticised the SEC’s inconsistent decision to allow voting in some divisions of a ward while postponing others, calling it an approach lacking uniformity and principle.
Justice Anil S Kilor and Justice Rajnish R Vyas from Nagpur Bench held that counting and results for every municipal council, nagar parishad and nagar panchayat—whether under the original or revised election schedule—must be deferred until voting is completed in all postponed bodies. The Court allowed polling to go ahead as planned, including the rescheduled elections on 20 December 2025, but barred any counting beforehand. It further ordered that all results be declared together on or after 21st December to protect the integrity of the democratic process. The judges also prohibited the telecast or publication of exit polls until voting concludes on 20 December 2025.
The Aurangabad Bench of justice Vibha Kankanwadi and justice Hiten S Venegavkar says, "In the present case, while the Commission's delay merits condemnation, invalidating the election programs at this stage would plunge the entire electoral process into deeper uncertainty. A balance must therefore be struck between preserving the integrity of the democratic process and avoiding further derailment."
"We are, therefore, persuaded that the appropriate course is not to set aside the original or revised election programme, but to regulate the declaration of results so as to prevent undue influence upon the electorate in the postponed elections of local bodies. If results in the majority of nagar panchayats and nagar parishads are declared earlier, voters in the postponed elections of local bodies may, consciously or otherwise, be swayed by the electoral trend. Such an outcome is inconsistent with the principle that every voter must exercise his or her franchise freely, uninfluenced by extraneous factors. The postponement may be constitutionally permissible, but its collateral impact must be mitigated through judicial supervision," the HC says.
SEC had postponed elections in nearly 20 local bodies last week, citing unresolved appeals on rejected nomination forms and procedural irregularities. It had planned to declare the first set of results on 3rd December and the second on 21 December 2025. Multiple petitioners challenged the move as arbitrary and avoidable, arguing that the appellate process is a predictable part of the election cycle and the Commission should have crafted its schedule accordingly. The Court agreed, condemning the SEC’s timing as showing a lack of administrative foresight and constitutional discipline, noting that the postponement orders were issued barely 72 hours before voting.
The Aurangabad Bench of the High Court delivered a parallel ruling on Tuesday, echoing the Nagpur Bench’s concerns and similarly blocking early results. The Bench also criticised the SEC’s inconsistent decision to allow voting in some divisions of a ward while postponing others, calling it an approach lacking uniformity and principle.
Both Benches declined to quash the SEC’s postponement orders to avoid plunging the ongoing election process into deeper uncertainty, but emphasised that the declaration of results must be tightly regulated to prevent voters in the postponed constituencies from being swayed by early trends.
The Courts stressed that preserving free and fair elections requires preventing any influence that could arise if early results were declared while polling remains pending elsewhere. They directed the SEC to issue comprehensive guidelines within 10 weeks to avoid similar last-minute disruptions in future election calendars.
With the latest orders, all results for Maharashtra’s local body polls will now be declared only after the second phase concludes on 20 December 2025, ensuring that the electorate across the state votes without being shaped by premature trends.
