Maharashtra Local Body Elections to be Held in November-December: State Election Commissioner

Strategic Insights -

Maharashtra is likely to go to polls for its local self-government body elections in November-December, with State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare indicating that the polls will be held after Diwali. The elections have been pending for three years, with 29 municipal corporations currently being run by administrators. The State Election Commission has also ruled out the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, which has drawn flak from the Opposition.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Maharashtra local body elections are expected to be held in November-December, with the State Election Commissioner indicating that the polls will be held after Diwali.
  • 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra have been run by administrators for the last three years, pending the elections.
  • The State Election Commission has ruled out the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in the civic and local self-government body polls.
  • The voters' list of July 2025 will serve as the basis for the Maharashtra local self-government body polls.
  • The four-member ward structure will be implemented as in the last elections.
  • There will be no change in the reservations, including those of SC-ST and OBCs.
  • Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have expressed concerns over the non-use of VVPAT machines in local self-government body polls.
  • The elections for 12 civic bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Kolhapur, Dombivli, Kalyan, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, and Vasai-Virar, are pending.

Statistics:

  • 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra have been run by administrators for the past three years.
  • 12 civic bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Kolhapur, Dombivli, Kalyan, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, and Vasai-Virar, are waiting for polls.
  • The State Election Commission has planned to hold the elections from October-end to December.
  • The voters' list of July 2025 will be used as the basis for the polls.

Sources:

  • State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare to The Indian Express
  • Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare
  • Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar
  • Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sarang Kamtekar
  • Contify.com