The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Mumbai unit on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s directive to the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct Maharashtra local body elections within four months, calling it a much-needed restoration of constitutional democracy in the state.

In a statement, AAP lashed out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of presiding over what it called an “organised loot” in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and 27 other civic bodies across Maharashtra. The party alleged that the state’s largest municipal body, the BMC, has seen a substantial depletion of its fixed deposits due to unchecked administrative spending.