India, Sept. 18 -- The Supreme Court's instruction to the state election commission (SEC) and the Maharashtra government to hold local polls before January 2026 has caught political parties off guard, as they had anticipated a delay.

Both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have asked workers to start preparations for the polls.

Both Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar have begun holding meetings in Pune city for municipal elections.

NCP (SP) city unit president Prashant Jagtap said, "We are ready for the elections. In fact, we have been demanding it since last two years."

Bharatiya Janata Party city unit president Dheeraj Ghate said, "Our preparations are a continuous process not limited to poll time."

Congress city unit presid...