BMC polls: SC to hear plea alleging mass rejection of nomination forms today
The Supreme Court will hear a plea challenging the Bombay High Court's dismissal of a petition against "mass rejection" of BMC election nominations. Allegations claim disqualifications were based on "hyper-technical" grounds to favour the ruling party, hindering free and fair Maharashtra civic polls. This raises concerns over transparency and democratic rights amidst the intensifying election contest.
New Delhi: The Maharashtra civic polls are round the corner and political heat for the 29 municipal corporations is intensifying.
As the contest draws closer, the Supreme Court is going to hear on Tuesday a petition challenging the Bombay High Court’s decision on the "mass rejection” of nomination forms for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The plea alleges that the disqualifications were based on "hyper-technical” and non-statutory grounds to "favour the ruling party”.
What the petition says
The public interest litigation (PIL) alleges large-scale and arbitrary rejection of nomination papers filed for the BMC elections to held on January 15.
It claims that a large number of nomination forms for the elections to the Mumbai civic body were rejected by poll authorities -- returning officers (ROs) -- on "frivolous and hyper-technical" grounds.
As per the petition, several candidates saw their nomination forms rejected during the scrutiny process without clear or sufficient reasons. It says this has raised concerns about the fairness and transparency of the civic election process in Mumbai.
The petitioner challenged the mandatory demand for several 'No Objection Certificates' (NOCs) that were reportedly not part of the official checklist issued by the State Election Commission (SEC).
The petition points out that candidates were forced to provide NOC for water department dues, assessment and property tax, building legality and police clearance certificates (PCC). It stated that since these departments are under the administrative control of the municipal corporation, NOCs were "deliberately delayed or refused" to Opposition and independent candidates to hinder "the conduct of free and fair elections", a PTI report said.
The petition says that the alleged mass rejection has hampered the democratic rights of candidates and voters. It sought judicial intervention to ensure a level playing field in the BMC election. The plea also questioned if due process was followed by election officials while scrutinising nomination papers.
What the Bombay High Court said
On Friday, the Bombay High Court dismissed the PIL. A bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar rejected the plea after the lawyer of the Municipal Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer (DEC) argued the petitioner was not a contesting candidate and had no locus standi in the matter.
About Maharashtra civic polls
The Maharashtra civic polls are set to be held across 29 municipal corporations on January 15. A government holiday has been declared for Thursday so that the poll operation is smooth.
As many as 1,700 candidates are contesting the 227 wards for the BMC elections in Mumbai.
The State Election Commission has announced that voting for the 2026 civic elections will be held on January 15 from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. The results of the Maharashtra civic elections will be declared the next day.