On Monday, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) announced that polling for 24 nagar parishads – including their presidential posts – as well as 154 wards in the remaining 76 nagar parishads and nagar panchayats will now take place on December 20, with results counted the next day, December 21. The postponement comes after several appeals were lodged in the District Court contesting the Returning Officer’s decisions for these local bodies. In a separate statement, the SEC clarified that all other nagar parishads and nagar panchayats will still vote on December 2, in line with the timetable released earlier. “The SEC had announced the schedule for the general elections of 246 Municipal Councils and 42 Nagar Panchayats in the state on November 4. Now, since the decision of the appeal cases against the decision of the Returning Officer will be taken on or after November 23, the election process will be implemented as per the revised schedule in the relevant places,” the commission said. It also noted that the updated timetable would apply wherever appeals regarding the presidential post had introduced delays. “There is a provision in the law to hold simultaneous elections for the posts of members along with the post of president. However, in places where there is an appeal for the post of member, the revised election program will be implemented only for that place,” it added. As a result of Monday’s announcement, polls in about ten per cent of nagar parishads and nagar panchayats will remain postponed. The SEC further informed that, in light of the new schedule starting after the appeal period, nomination papers can be withdrawn up to 3 pm on December 10; the final register of candidates and allocation of symbols will be finalized on December 11, with voting on December 20 and counting on December 21.
All major parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress, complained loudly that the SEC had delayed the elections just 48 hours before voting. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis voiced his frustration, saying he disagreed with the SEC’s action and claimed that the applicable laws had been misinterpreted. “I have no idea which act the state election commission is following and who is advising them. As far as my study goes and my knowledge of election acts goes and my interaction with other lawyers are concerned, they all told me that elections cannot be postponed like this,” he told reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. He reiterated his dissent. Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan wrote to the SEC demanding a reversal, calling the decision improper, while Congress leaders branded the SEC’s last‑minute alterations a failure of the party’s transparency and fairness. “It seems it is not capable of conducting the elections,” said Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal.
The SEC has wrapped up preparations for the first phase of polling, which will be held on December 2 with counting scheduled for December 3. Security forces have been bolstered to ensure orderly proceedings; in some districts rural police operate 24/7 drone patrols and extra troops have been posted around key polling sites. A public holiday has been declared for December 2. Voters will not be permitted to bring mobile phones into polling booths; designated rooms will be set up for securely storing handsets where possible, outside the actual voting area. A total of 288 Election Returning Officers and 288 Assistant Election Returning Officers have been appointed for the election, supported by 66,775 additional officers and staff.
The local‑body elections had been mired in controversy from the outset. In May, the Supreme Court urged the SEC to complete the entire local‑body election process before 31 January 2026. No elections have taken place for nagar parishads, nagar panchayats, zilla parishads, panchayat samitis or municipal corporations in the last three to five years, largely because of disputes over OBC reservations. After the SEC announced the timetable on November 4, opposition parties objected to a flawed voters’ list and alleged widespread irregularities; several petitioners approached the Supreme Court, claiming that over 50 percent of seats in some local bodies were reserved for a single election. Although the apex court recently approved the elections, the outcomes for local bodies with more than 50 percent reserved seats – namely nagar parishads and nagar panchayats – will await a final ruling in that case. Likewise, the SEC is unlikely to proceed with elections in zilla parishads or panchayat samitis where the reservation threshold has been breached, as the court has yet to issue guidance on the matter.
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