Nearly one crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the opening phase of these multi-tier rural and urban elections, which must be completed by January 31 as directed by the Supreme Court
Campaigning ended at 10 pm on Monday. Representational Pic/File
Maharashtra will go to the polls on Tuesday for the first phase of its long-awaited local body elections, with voting scheduled for 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats.
The contest comes against the backdrop of alliance tensions, friendly fights and legal challenges, a year after the state assembly elections.
Nearly one crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the opening phase of these multi-tier rural and urban elections, which must be completed by January 31 as directed by the Supreme Court.
The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used across districts, and counting is set for December 3.
The December 2 polls will see a direct clash between the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), deciding the fate of 6,705 members and 264 municipal presidents.
Elections in 24 local bodies were postponed to December 20 due to legal appeals filed against the scrutiny of nomination papers by Returning Officers. The State Election Commission (SEC) announced the postponement after finding irregularities in withdrawal timelines and the allocation of election symbols, reported the PTI.
In several cases, District Court rulings on appeals were delivered after November 22 or candidates were not given the mandatory three-day period to withdraw nominations under Rule 17(1)(b) of the Maharashtra Municipalities Election Rules, 1966. As a result, the allocation of symbols on or after November 26 was deemed invalid, prompting the SEC to stay the process in affected areas, according to the PTI.
The stay applies only to specific seats where appeals were filed. The revised schedule covers seats and municipal president posts for which court orders were passed on or after November 23.
Campaigning ended at 10 pm on Monday.
No rallies, marches, loudspeakers or advertisements will be allowed on voting day.
The SEC has enforced restrictions under the ‘Media Regulation and Advertisement Certification Order, 2025’, which prohibits any form of election advertising in print, electronic or social media on polling day.
In addition to the 24 postponed bodies, polling for 154 seats across 76 other local bodies will not take place on Tuesday.
The elections, originally announced on November 4, are being viewed as a key indicator of public sentiment following the Mahayuti’s sweeping victory in the 2024 assembly elections, where it won 235 of the 288 seats.
Experts believe the results will show whether the ruling alliance’s momentum extends to grassroots governance or if the Opposition can consolidate its strength, as per the PTI.
The campaign has seen intense activity, with the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP challenging the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) and the Congress.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticised the SEC’s postponement of some elections, calling it “wrong” and “unfair” to candidates who had completed the nomination process. While acknowledging the SEC’s autonomy, he maintained his opposition to the decision, the news agency reported.
The BJP has already secured 100 councillor seats and three municipal president posts unopposed, while the Opposition has relied heavily on its local leadership during campaigning, reported the PTI.
To address concerns over duplicate voters, the SEC introduced a verification system marking suspected entries with double stars, requiring strict identity checks. A new mobile app has also been launched to provide voter and candidate information, including affidavits.
These elections are part of the Supreme Court-mandated process to complete all pending polls by January 31. Schedules for 29 municipal corporations -- including Mumbai -- 32 Zilla Parishads and 336 Panchayat Samitis are yet to be declared.
(with PTI inputs)
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