Maharashtra local body polls on Dec 2, litmus test for Fadnavis-led government
The elections will be held for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats, with over 1.07 crore voters set to exercise franchise at 13,355 polling stations
Maharashtra is set to witness a crucial round of local body elections on December 2, with voting scheduled for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats, marking the first phase of a three-tier process mandated by the Supreme Court.
The December 2 polls are being viewed as a significant indicator of political sentiment in Maharashtra following the BJP-led Mahayuti's landslide victory in the November 2024 assembly elections, securing 235 out of 288 seats.
The local body results will test whether this momentum translates to grassroots governance or if opposition consolidation can challenge the ruling coalition's dominance at the municipal level, political observers said.
The campaign period for the polls was extended till 10 pm on December 1. Votes will be counted on December 3.
The model code of conduct came into force after State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare announced the poll schedule on November 4.
The elections will decide the fate of 6,859 members and 288 presidents across these local bodies, with over 1.07 crore eligible voters set to exercise their franchise at 13,355 polling stations.
Electronic Voting Machines will be deployed throughout, with more than 66,000 staff members assigned to ensure smooth conduct of the polls, officials said.
"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 ₹15 lakh for the post of president and ₹12 lakh for post of member," an official said.
The nomination process began on November 10, with November 17 as the last date for filing. Scrutiny of applications took place on November 18, while candidates were permitted to withdraw their nominations until November 21.
The SEC received more than 51,000 nominations, he said.
Of the 246 municipal councils, 10 have been formed recently, while of the 42 nagar panchayats going to 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," he added.
The polls have already witnessed significant political manoeuvring, with the ruling Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party facing off against the Maha Vikas Aghadi of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) and Congress.
Stealing a march over other parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party secured 100 councillor and three municipal president positions unopposed even before the first vote was cast, with the party's state unit chief Ravindra Chavan attributing this success to the public's trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' leadership.
Development-oriented policies deterred opposition parties from fielding candidates in several constituencies, Chavan claimed.
However, the BJP has also 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 concentration of tickets within one family has triggered debate over dynastic politics and democratic representation.
The elections take place amid Opposition demands for postponement over alleged irregularities in voter lists. Opposition parties claimed the July 1 voter roll revision contained duplicate and bogus entries requiring thorough verification.
Addressing these concerns, the Election Commission introduced a verification system marking suspected duplicate voters with double stars on lists, requiring strict identity checks at polling stations.
To enhance transparency, the EC also launched a mobile application providing comprehensive information about candidates and voters, including access to affidavits submitted by all candidates.
Booth-wise voter lists were published on November 7 to facilitate voter awareness.
These local body elections are being conducted under a Supreme Court directive to complete all pending polls in Maharashtra 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.
