Municipal Corporations Election Schedule Announced for 29 Cities in Maharashtra

The State Election Commission of Maharashtra has announced the long-awaited Municipal Corporation election schedule for 29 Municipal Corporations, including Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Navi Mumbai. The announcement was made during an official press conference.

According to the schedule, voting will be held on 15 January, and results will be declared on 16 January. With this announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect from today across all concerned municipal areas.

Elections After Long Delay Due to OBC Reservation Issue

The Municipal Corporation elections in Maharashtra were pending for the last 5 to 7 years due to the OBC reservation issue. Following directions from the Supreme Court, the process for local body elections resumed. Earlier, elections for municipal councils and nagar parishads were held on 2 December, and now the schedule for the remaining 29 Municipal Corporations has been declared.

Voters and Election Infrastructure

A total of 3.48 crore voters will participate in these elections across Maharashtra.

Total polling booths: 39,147
Polling booths in Mumbai: 10,111
Control Units: 11,349
Ballot Units: 22,000

Municipal Corporation Election Schedule

Nomination filing: 23 December to 30 December
Scrutiny of nominations: 31 December
Last date for withdrawal: 2 January
Symbol allotment & final candidate list: 3 January
Polling day: 15 January
Counting & results: 16 January

The term of 27 Municipal Corporations has already ended, while Jalna and Ichalkaranji are newly formed Municipal Corporations and will go to polls for the first time.

The voter list as of 1 July 2025 will be used for these elections. Since the list is provided by the Central Election Commission, the State Election Commission has clarified that no additions or deletions are allowed.

Election Spending Limits Announced

The Election Commission has also fixed spending limits for candidates contesting Municipal Corporation elections:

A Class Municipal Corporations (including Mumbai): ₹15 lakh
B Class: ₹13 lakh
C Class: ₹11 lakh
D Class: ₹9 lakh

Voting System and Nomination Process

Mumbai Municipal Corporation has single-member wards, so voters will cast only one vote. In the remaining 28 Municipal Corporations, wards may have one to five members, and voting will be conducted accordingly.

Nomination forms can be submitted only through offline mode. Candidates who do not currently have a caste validity certificate must submit it within six months after the election.

Facilities for Voters and Election Staff

Special arrangements have been made for senior citizens and differently-abled voters. All polling stations will be equipped with ramps and wheelchairs. Voter awareness reels have also been created to encourage maximum participation.

Around 1,96,605 government employees will be deployed for election duty across the state. As per election rules, campaigning will be banned 48 hours before polling, and political advertisements will also not be allowed during this period.

Total Seats and Reservation Details

Elections will be held for a total of 2,869 seats across 29 Municipal Corporations:

Women representatives: 1,442
Other Backward Classes (OBC): 759
Scheduled Castes (SC): 341
Scheduled Tribes (ST): 77

Special Arrangement for Duplicate Voters in Mumbai

In Mumbai, around 11 lakh voters are suspected to be duplicate voters, accounting for nearly 7% of total voters. These voters have been identified, and two star marks will be placed next to their names in the voter list.

Election officials have conducted door-to-door surveys, and affidavits have been collected stating where such voters will vote. Those who were not surveyed will be required to submit a declaration form at the polling booth.