India, Dec. 2 -- Just days before the commencement of the elections to 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra, the State Election Commission (SEC) has deferred the elections of 24 bodies, while in 76 others, polling for 154 seats has been postponed to December 20. Leaders across party lines have joined hands to slam the SEC for this.

The elections to the 24 bodies have been stalled on account of the presidential candidates' nominations here being challenged. The noteworthy bodies among these are Ambernath, Baramati, Kopargaon, Angar, Phaltan, Nilanga, Deoli and Balapur, where key leaders from prominent parties are spearheading the polls.

Among these, the Angar and Ambernath municipal councils were particularly contro...