"State leadership will decide on alliance in local body polls": Maharashtra CM Fadnavis

"Our state president, working president, and election committee have the right to decide on the alliance in the local body elections. No one else. Our role is to contest the elections under the Mahayuti. In some places, where it is not possible, there is a friendly fight," CM Fadnavis said.

Speaking on the June 9 train accident, in which four people were killed, the Maharashtra CM said that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had a detailed meeting with him on the same day.

"On the day the accident happened, the Railway Minister had a detailed discussion with me. Good decisions were made in the meeting. Various measures have been discussed," Fadnavis said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Maharashtra government issued orders to begin the process for 29 municipal corporations by initiating the drafting of ward boundaries.

Among the 29 municipal corporations included in this process are Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli.

Earlier in May this year, the Supreme Court directed the Maharashtra Election Commission to notify local body elections in the State within four weeks.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh also directed that an endeavour shall be made by the state election commission to conclude the elections within four months.

"In our concerned opinion, the constitutional mandate of grassroots democracy through periodical elections of the local bodies ought to be respected and ensured", the bench stated in the order.

However, the Court also granted liberty to the state election commission to seek its permission for an extension, in case they are not able to conclude the elections within the prescribed time.

The top court also noted that the local body elections in the State had not been held for several years due to the pendency of several issues that arose with regard to OBC reservations. (ANI)