MUMBAI, 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 controversial. In Angar, BJP leader Rajan Patil was charged with using money and muscle power, while in Ambernath, a violent skirmish took place between leaders of the BJP and the Shiv Sena. The clashes reached the court, which could not decide on the complaint in time, leading to the deferment of the polls. The postponement of the elections to 154 seats in 76 municipal councils and nagar panchayats was necessitated for want of a final verdict from the district courts on the objections to the nominations raised by opposition candidates. The district courts were expected to take a final call on the objections till November 25. In the absence of a final verdict, the SEC stalled the elections to the wards and presidential posts by announcing that they would be held on December 20. The SEC's move has led to sharp reactions across the political spectrum, with the BJP demanding that the decision be cancelled. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the deferment was the result of the SEC's misinterpretation of the law. "The cancellation of these polls was uncalled-for," he said. "I have spoken to a number of legal experts and they too are of the same opinion. The hard work and resources of the candidates in these bodies will be in vain." On behalf of his party, state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan submitted a memorandum to the SEC on Monday demanding that the elections be held as per schedule. "The decision of the SEC is not just unfortunate and unjust to the candidates but not in accordance with the local body law under which the elections are being held," said the memorandum. "It has also exposed the lack of coordination within the SEC. Therefore, we urge the SEC to cancel the deferment of the polls and hold the elections as per the original schedule." The opposition has joined the BJP in criticising the SEC. Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said that the polls were stalled at the behest of the ruling parties in order to benefit from them. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said it was a waste of money for the candidates in the fray and the voters too would face hardship, as they would have to vote again in the multi-member wards. The SEC on November 4 announced the elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats to be held on December 2. While hearing the pleas related to 57 of these bodies exceeding the 50% cap of reservation, the Supreme Court on Friday gave the go-ahead to hold elections here too, subject to the final outcome of its ruling. As many as 10.07 million or over 10.5% of the total voters in the state will vote in these elections being held for 6,859 seats in 3,820 wards. The counting of the votes will take place on December 3....