18 June,2026 10:38 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Vidhan Bhavan. File Photo
Voting began on Thursday for elections to 12 Maharashtra Legislative Council seats from local authorities' constituencies, with the ruling Mahayuti alliance aiming to consolidate its strength after already securing five seats unopposed.
Polling commenced at 8 am and will continue until 4 pm. Members of local self-government bodies, including municipal corporations, municipal councils, nagar panchayats and zilla parishads, are eligible to vote in these elections.
Although elections were originally scheduled for 17 seats, contests are being held in only 12 constituencies after candidates backed by the ruling alliance were elected unopposed in five seats.
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the NCP faction headed by Sunetra Pawar, has already secured five victories before polling.
BJP candidate Arun Lakhani was elected unopposed from the Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli constituency. NCP nominees Vikram Kakade and Aniket Tatkare won unopposed from Pune and Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, respectively.
Shiv Sena candidates Ravindra Phatak from Thane and Dushyant Chaturvedi from Yavatmal also secured uncontested victories.
These wins have given the ruling alliance an early advantage ahead of the counting process scheduled for June 22.
One of the most closely watched contests is in the Satara-Sangli constituency, where BJP candidate Dhairyasheel Kadam is facing NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) nominee Abhaysinh Jagtap.
The seat had witnessed friction within the Mahayuti alliance after some leaders from the Shiv Sena expressed reservations over the distribution of seats among alliance partners.
Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai publicly voiced concerns about coordination among alliance partners during local body elections and had skipped a coordination meeting related to the council polls.
Speculation over a split in alliance votes, however, subsided after Shiv Sena rebel leader Tanajirao Patil withdrew from the contest, resulting in a direct fight between the two main candidates.
The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered setbacks after a series of candidate withdrawals in different constituencies.
In Amravati, Congress candidate Harshjit Deshmukh withdrew from the contest citing health reasons. However, senior Congress leader Yashomati Thakur alleged that rival political forces had influenced the decision.
Differences also surfaced between the Congress and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi over support for VBA candidate Neelesh Vishwakarma.
Several Opposition candidates withdrew nominations in other constituencies as well. Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Bal Mane withdrew from the Konkan seat, while NCP (SP) nominee Shrikant Patil withdrew from Pune, clearing the way for Vikram Kakade's unopposed victory.
Similarly, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Deoyani Patil Dongaonkar withdrew from the Aurangabad-Jalna constituency, while Congress candidates Shailesh Agrawal and Sahebrao Kamble withdrew from Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli and Yavatmal, respectively.
The Nashik constituency emerged as another challenge for the ruling alliance after BJP leader Gokul Gite entered the contest as an Independent candidate against Mahayuti's official nominee, Narendra Darade of the Shiv Sena.
The development prompted intervention from senior leaders, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP minister Girish Mahajan and Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant.
Following multiple rounds of discussions, Gite agreed to halt his campaign. However, his name remained on the ballot paper as the deadline for withdrawal had already passed.
The episode highlighted the challenges of managing alliance dynamics in closely contested constituencies.
In Nanded, three candidates are contesting the election from the local authorities' constituency. A total of 452 voters are eligible to cast their votes, including members of the Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation and representatives of municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the district.
Meanwhile, the Osmanabad-Latur-Beed constituency is witnessing a direct contest between BJP candidate Basavaraj Patil Murumkar and Congress nominee Mahesh Deshmukh. The constituency has an electorate of 367 voters.
The Legislative Council elections are being viewed as an important political test for both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi ahead of future electoral battles in Maharashtra.
While the ruling alliance enters the contest with five seats already secured, the remaining 12 constituencies will determine the extent of its dominance in the Upper House.
The Opposition has alleged that money power and political pressure played a role in several candidate withdrawals, a charge strongly denied by Mahayuti leaders.
With polling underway across the state, all eyes are now on the counting of votes scheduled for June 22, which will reveal whether the ruling alliance can further strengthen its position in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
(With inputs from Agencies)
