MUMBAI, Nov. 26 -- With the Supreme Court deferring the hearing in the case relating to quotas in local bodies to Friday, the state election commission (SEC) says the polls could be delayed. The SEC says it would take eight days to rework the quotas alone. Phase one of the polls was to kick off on December 2 but this may not be possible now. Of the 288 bodies scheduled for elections on December 2, 57 have breached the 50% ceiling on reservations. The remaining two phases of the elections are yet to be notified. The Supreme Court is hearing over 15 petitions, which have challenged a breach in the 50% cap on reservations in local bodies. Reservations pertain to quotas for OBCs, SCs and STs. While deferring the hearing to Friday, the court also directed the SEC to refrain from notifying the remaining two phases of the elections. It clarified that the outcome of the elections in the first phase would be subject to the final ruling in the case. State election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said, "We have not yet announced the elections for the remaining bodies, and are bound to follow the outcome of the hearing even for the first phase. In phase one, if the SC allows elections for bodies that have not breached the cap, we will proceed with those elections. The remaining bodies can go to the polls in the next phase." Waghmare said restructuring reservations to bring the quota below the 50% ceiling where it has been breached will require eight days. "If the court allows us, the polls for remaining bodies including corporations and district councils could be held by giving them a week's time. The draws for open and OBC quota in these bodies, where the cap is breached, will have to be taken again," he said. He said there was no question of the OBC quota complying with the Banthia Commission report as the apex court in its May 6 order had directed the state must follow law that prevailed before the report was submitted. A total of 686 local bodies are scheduled for elections in three phases - 42 nagar panchayats and 246 nagar parishads on December 2, in phase one; 32 zilla parishads and 336 panchayat samitis in phase two; and 29 municipal corporations in January, in phase 3. Of these, 159 local bodies have crossed the 50% ceiling for the SC, ST and OBC quota in Maharashtra, according to SEC data....