Maharashtra Local Body Elections 2025: 242 Municipal Councils and 46 Nagar Panchayats to Vote on December 2

Votes will be counted on December 3.

Mumbai:

Maharashtra is set to hold local body elections on Monday, with voting taking place across 242 municipal councils and 46 nagar panchayats, marking the first phase of the Supreme Court-mandated three-tier electoral process.

Elections for certain local bodies in Thane, Pune and Ahilyanagar districts have been rescheduled to December 20 following judicial appeals against decisions made by Returning Officers after nomination paper scrutiny.

The State Election Commission (SEC) announced this postponement on Saturday after identifying irregularities in the election process of some bodies, particularly regarding nomination withdrawal timelines and election symbol allocation.

According to the SEC, in numerous cases, District Court appeal verdicts were delivered after November 22, or candidates weren't provided the mandatory three-day period to withdraw nomination papers as stipulated by Rule 17(1)(b) of Maharashtra Municipalities Election Rules, 1966.

Consequently, the subsequent allocation of election symbols on or after November 26 by returning officers was deemed illegal in these cases.

The SEC has therefore postponed the election process in affected civic bodies. For member seats, the postponement applies specifically to seats where appeals were filed. The revised schedule applies to both seats and president's posts where court appeal verdicts were delivered on or after November 23.

Campaigning will conclude at 10 pm on Monday, with no election advertisements permitted on voting day. Following the campaign closure, political parties and candidates will be prohibited from organizing rallies, conducting campaign marches, or using loudspeakers and other public canvassing methods, as stated by the SEC.

The SEC referenced the 'Media Regulation and Advertisement Certification Order, 2025' issued on October 9, which prohibits publication or broadcast of election advertisements in print, electronic, or social media on polling day.

"Newspapers and other media outlets must not publish or air any form of advertisement on December 2," the commission emphasized.

The December 2 polls are being regarded as a significant indicator of political sentiment in the state following the BJP-led Mahayuti's overwhelming victory in the November 2024 assembly elections, where they secured 235 out of 288 seats.

Political observers note that the local body results will determine whether this momentum extends to grassroots governance or if opposition consolidation can challenge the ruling coalition's dominance at the municipal level.

Vote counting will take place on December 3. The elections will determine the fate of 6,859 members and 288 presidents across these local bodies, with over 1.07 crore eligible voters set to cast their ballots at 13,355 polling stations.

Electronic Voting Machines will be utilized throughout, with more than 66,000 staff members assigned to ensure smooth electoral operations, according to officials.

"Of the total seats, 3,492 are reserved for women, 895 for Scheduled Castes, 338 for Scheduled Tribes, and 1,821 for Other Backward Classes. The expenditure limit for candidates has been set at Rs 15 lakh for the post of president and Rs 12 lakh for post of member. The SEC received more than 51,000 nominations," an official explained.

Among the 246 municipal councils, 10 were recently established, while of the 42 nagar panchayats participating in the elections, 15 are newly constituted, and 27 have completed their terms.

"Region-wise, the polls will cover 27 councils in Konkan, 59 in Nashik division, 60 in Pune division, and 55 in Nagpur division, making this a geographically diverse exercise spanning urban and semi-urban Maharashtra," the official added.

The elections have already witnessed significant political strategies, with the ruling Mahayuti alliance—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party—competing against the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition of Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), and Congress.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has already secured 100 councillor and three municipal president positions unopposed, with the party's state unit chief Ravindra Chavan attributing this success to public trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' leadership.

However, the BJP has faced criticism in Nanded's Loha Nagar Parishad, where local NCP MLA Pratap Patil Chikhalikar questioned the party's decision to field six candidates from the Suryavanshi family, including Gajanand Suryavanshi for chairman, along with his wife, brother, and sister-in-law.

The elections are proceeding despite Opposition demands for postponement. These parties have alleged that the July 1 voter roll revision contained duplicate and fraudulent entries.

Addressing these concerns, the Election Commission implemented a verification system that marks suspected duplicate voters with double stars on lists, requiring strict identity verification at polling stations. The Commission also launched a mobile application providing information about candidates and voters, including candidate affidavits. Booth-wise voter lists were published on November 7 to enhance awareness.

These local body elections are being conducted under a Supreme Court directive to complete pending polls by January 31, 2026. The schedules for 29 municipal corporations, 32 Zilla Parishads, and 336 panchayat samitis are yet to be announced. The crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, last held in 2017, are expected around mid-January.