Maharashtra Local Body Elections 2025 Polling Tomorrow:
The countdown for Maharashtra civic body elections has begun. Polling is set to be held across 242 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats to elect 6,859 members and 288 presidents in the state.
Over 1 crore voters set to exercise their franchise at 13,355 polling stations, according to the Indian Express.
The municipal corporations of Mumbai (BMC), Pune, Thane, and Nagpur, however, will not head to polls imminently, as no dates have been officially set for their elections yet.
Maharashtra local body polls: When will polling begin?
Polling will begin in most regions of the state on December 2 using electronic voting machines (EVMs) from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has confirmed.
The December 2 elections are being considered a major indicator of political sentiment in Maharashtra after the BJP-led Mahayuti secured a landslide victory in last year’s Assembly elections, bagging 235 out of 288 seats.
Polling rescheduled in several districts
Elections for at least 20 municipal corporations across several districts in Maharashtra have been postponed after the SEC detected widespread irregularities in the appeals process related to rejected nomination papers. Voting, earlier scheduled for December 2, will now take place on December 20 in these areas.
Which seats are affected?
The affected seats include Baramati and Talegaon in Pune; Devlali, Kopargaon, Nevasa, and Pathardi in Ahilyanagar; Phaltan and Mahabaleshwar in Satara; Digras, Pandharkavda, and Wani in Yavatmal; Ghuggus, Gadchandur, and Mul in Chandrapur; Balapur in Akola; Anjangaon-Surji in Amravati; Dharashiv in Dharashiv district; Mangalvedha in Solapur; Badlapur in Thane, and Mukhed and Dharmabad in Nanded district.
What is the reason behind the delay?
The SEC’s decision, which was announced on Saturday, comes in light of irregularities observed in the election process of some bodies, including timeline for withdrawal of nominations and allocation of election symbols, according to NDTV.
What time will campaigning end?
Campaigning will end at 10 pm on Monday (December 1), with no poll advertisements permitted on voting day.
Once campaigning concludes, political parties and candidates will not be permitted to organise rallies, take out campaign marches, or use loudspeakers and other modes of public canvassing, the SEC has said.