Maharashtra is set for a pivotal round of local council elections on December 2, with voting scheduled for 246 municipal councils and 42 Nagar Panchayats. This marks the first stage of a three-tier process mandated by the Supreme Court.
The polls on December 2 are being watched as a significant gauge of political feeling in Maharashtra following the decisive victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance in the November 2024 assembly elections, where they secured 235 out of 288 seats.
Political observers suggest the local body results will test whether this momentum can be translated into success at the grassroots governance level, or if the consolidated opposition can challenge the ruling coalition’s municipal dominance.
The campaign period for the elections was extended until 10 pm on December 1. Votes are due to be counted on December 3. The model code of conduct came into effect after State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare announced the election schedule on November 4.
These elections will determine the fate of 6,859 members and 288 presidents across these local authorities. Officials confirmed that Electronic Voting Machines will be deployed throughout, with more than 66,000 staff members assigned to ensure the smooth running of the polls.
"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 nomination process commenced on November 10, with November 17 being the deadline for filing. Applications were scrutinised on November 18, and candidates were permitted to withdraw their nominations until November 21. The State Election Commission (SEC) received more than 51,000 nominations, he noted.
Out of the 246 municipal councils, 10 have been recently formed, while of the 42 Nagar Panchayats going to the polls, 15 are newly constituted and 27 have completed their terms.
"Region-wise, the elections will cover 27 councils in Konkan, 59 in Nashik division, 60 in Pune division, and 55 in Nagpur division, making this a geographically diverse electoral exercise spanning urban and semi-urban Maharashtra," the official added.
The polls have already seen significant political manoeuvring, 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, which consists of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), and Congress.
The BJP stole a march on its rivals by securing 100 councillor and three municipal president positions unopposed even before the first vote was cast. The party's state unit chief, Ravindra Chavan, attributed this success to the public's confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Chavan claimed that development-oriented policies deterred opposition parties from fielding candidates in several constituencies.
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 nominate six candidates from the Suryavanshi family, including Gajanand Suryavanshi for chairman, along with his wife, brother, and sister-in-law. This concentration of tickets within one family has sparked debate regarding dynastic politics and democratic representation.
The elections are proceeding amid demands for a postponement from the Opposition over alleged irregularities in the voter lists.
These local body elections are being held under a Supreme Court directive to complete all outstanding polls in Maharashtra by January 31, 2026. The schedules for 29 municipal corporations, 32 Zilla Parishads, and 336 panchayat samitis have yet to be announced. The vital Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, last held in 2017, are anticipated around mid-January.
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