Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis praised the ruling and said that he was prepared for the elections, only hours after the Supreme Court ordered the Maharashtra government to announce local body elections within four weeks and attempt to finish the process within four months.

The chief minister even insisted that members of the Mahayuti alliance—which consists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar, and the Shiv Sena fraction led by Eknath Shinde—would run together in the next elections.

Fadnavis said that “we [the Mahayuti] will contest the polls as one block” and that his administration will encourage the State Election Commission (SEC) to begin planning for local body elections. This comment takes on importance since, in some places, Shinde Sena leaders, the BJP, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP have publicly discussed or alluded to running alone for local self-governing or urban municipal body elections at public gatherings.

Following the conclusion of the state cabinet meeting in Chaundi in Ahilyanagar, previously known as Ahmednagar, Fadnavis was addressing members of the media. The purpose of the gathering was to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Ahilyabai Holkar, the Maratha ruler of the Malwa region in the 18th century, who was born at Ahilyanagar.

Local elections have been postponed for years in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, and other metropolitan regions. Elections in Mumbai were supposed to take place in 2022, but they were postponed because of a judicial stay.

The Supreme Court ordered the state to conduct elections on Tuesday, setting the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota at the pre-Jayant Kumar Banthia Commission percentage from July 2022.

The state government established a panel in 2022 to look at the issue of OBC reservation in local government. Within the current reservation cap of 50%, the panel suggested that OBCs be represented at 27%. The report has been contested in court, and the bench of the Supreme Court said at the hearing that the results of the petition contesting it will determine the polls.

Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders, including those from the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and Sharad Pawar’s NCP party, have also praised the movement and said that they are prepared for the election.

Three main concerns are highlighted.

The state administration has now established a new objective: a 150-day plan, after the successful completion of the 100-day program and the publication of its outcomes. When unveiling the second program, Fadnavis insisted that it will concentrate on three important topics: administrative changes, e-governance, and Maharashtra’s standing by 2047.

Fadnavis has directed all departments to submit their 100-day action plan in January. As a result, an outside organization called Quality Control of India assessed the objectives and deliverables that were presented. The CM posted the assessment list on social media on May 1. Twelve of the 48 departments on the list were able to accomplish all of their goals.