By: Express News ServiceMumbai | October 11, 2025 08:49 PM IST 2 min readSanjay Raut has also written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, inviting them to join the all-party delegation.A delegation of senior Opposition leaders, including NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, will meet Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam on October 14 to hold a dialogue with the ‘supreme institution in the democratic system’ ahead of the local body elections.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, who announced the development on Saturday, said the meeting aimed to ensure “transparency and trust” in the upcoming civic polls, including those to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.Raut has also written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, inviting them to join the all-party delegation. “Meeting the Election Commission has now become a formality, yet it is necessary to maintain dialogue with this supreme institution in the democratic system. We have requested CM Devendra Fadnavis to participate in this all-party delegation. This is not politics but an effort to save democracy,” Raut said in a post on X.He added that after the meeting, leaders from all parties would address a joint press conference at the Y B Chavan Centre in Mumbai.In his letter to Fadnavis, Raut said, “The dates for the elections to the local bodies, including the BMC, will be announced soon. There should be no doubt about the system and process of these very important elections. The role of the major political parties in the state is that the elections should be held in a transparent and fair manner in full compliance with the Constitution.”Raut noted that all parties had been informed about the proposed meeting and had responded positively. “There is no political motive behind this visit, but the feeling is that democracy should be strengthened and trust in the electoral system should be enhanced,” he added.Local body elections across Maharashtra are expected to be announced later this month.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Election CommissionMaharashtra