MUMBAI: If a person wants to contest elections on seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes in Gram Panchayats, Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samiti, he/she must submit a caste certificate and a validity certificate from the verification committee.An extension of twelve months has been given for submission of these validity certificates and an ordinance in this regard has been issued by Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan (Maharashtra Government Gazette Extraordinary Part Four dated 30 April 2025).If a candidate wants to contest elections to seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes in Gram Panchayats, Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samiti, they are required to submit a caste certificate and a validity certificate from the Verification Committee.However, often, even if candidates apply on time, it takes time to get the certificate due to the heavy workload of the Verification Committee. As a result, many elected members do not get the validity certificate on time and are declared ineligible (disqualified).Keeping this problem in mind , the Maharashtra (Gram Panchayat , Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti Elections) Temporary Extension of Time for Submission of Validity Certificate Act, 2023 (Maha.35 of 2023) was extended for 12 months.However, applications of more than 11,000 members are still pending with the committee, and they are likely to be removed from office simply because the verification committee has not issued the certificate in time.This situation is unjust and creates hindrance in the functioning of the local bodies. Therefore, such members should be given another 12 months to submit their validity certificates.Also, this ordinance has been issued to ensure that they are not deprived of holding such offices simply because the validity certificates have not been issued in time by the caste verification committee.The State Election Commission has taken the first step towards organizing the impending local body polls in the state including the BMC. It has directed the state government to begin the process of ward formation (delimitation). The process will begin in both urban and rural local bodies.This comes a week after the Supreme Court passed an order asking for the long-pending polls to be held within four months. On the issue of OBC reservations, the court had said that the quota should revert to the position which existed before the Banthia commission’s report in July 2022.