Mumbai, Dec 15 (NationPress) The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has officially declared the long-awaited elections for 29 municipal corporations throughout the state, prominently including the significant Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The polling is set for January 15 with the counting of votes on January 16. This decision aligns with a Supreme Court order requiring that civic body elections occur before January 31.

During a press briefing, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare, alongside SEC Secretary Suresh Kakani, confirmed that the election schedule has been meticulously crafted to meet constitutional deadlines.

The elections are anticipated to be fiercely contested, especially in Mumbai, where the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance will be up against the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

According to the timeline, candidates can submit their nomination papers between December 23 and December 30, 2025. The scrutiny of these nominations will happen on December 31, and candidates will have the opportunity to withdraw their nominations by January 2, 2026. Poll symbols will be distributed, and the final voters’ list will be published on January 3. Voting is set for January 15, with counting the following day.

A total of 3.48 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes, comprising 1.91 crore men, 1.66 crore women, and 4,590 voters in the ‘others’ category. The polling will utilize Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) across 39,147 polling stations, including 10,111 in the BMC area. The voters’ list as of July 1 has been adopted for these elections based on the wards from the Election Commission of India (ECI). The SEC clarified its lack of authority to modify the electoral rolls.

Out of the total seats across 29 municipal corporations, 1,442 are reserved for women, 341 for Scheduled Castes, 77 for Scheduled Tribes, and 769 for Other Backward Classes. Nomination papers will be accepted exclusively in offline format.

Among the 29 municipal corporations, Jalna and Ichalkaranji are newly formed civic entities. The terms for five municipal corporations expired in 2020, while 18 corporations finished their terms in 2022. Four additional corporations completed their terms in 2023. Importantly, the BMC's term ended on March 7, 2022, and it has since been overseen by appointed officials.

Responding to concerns regarding duplicate voters, Waghmare indicated that such entries have been flagged with double stars in the voters’ list. Municipal corporations conducted field surveys requesting duplicate voters to specify their preferred polling stations to avoid multiple voting. In the BMC alone, approximately 11 lakh duplicate entries were initially detected through software, yet later verification showed that only about 7 percent were genuine duplicates. Similar trends were noted in other civic bodies, he stated.

With the election program announcement, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is now in effect for all areas under the municipal corporations. While the MCC is strictly enforced within the civic bodies' operational areas, any decisions or announcements made outside these areas that could influence voters will also be prohibited.

This means that the state government will be restricted from making policy decisions related to municipal corporation areas during this time, although disaster relief measures will continue unaffected. Restrictions on carrying weapons will also remain in place, per the SEC's orders from November 4.

Electoral processes will vary among civic bodies. In 28 municipal corporations, elections will occur under a multi-member ward system, where each ward usually elects four councillors, with some wards having three or five seats. Consequently, voters in these corporations will cast between three and five votes. Conversely, the BMC employs a single-member ward system, where each voter casts only one vote.

The SEC also reiterated requirements for candidates contesting from reserved seats. Candidates must provide both caste certificates and caste validity certificates along with their nomination papers. If the validity certificate is pending, proof of application to the Caste Scrutiny Committee and an undertaking to submit the certificate within six months of the results will be necessary. Non-compliance will lead to retrospective cancellation of the election.

This announcement comes amid escalating political tension, with opposition parties alleging widespread voter duplication and “vote theft.” The ruling Mahayuti alliance has dismissed these assertions, accusing the opposition of making excuses following electoral defeats. Following a robust performance in the recent Assembly elections, the BJP-led alliance is eager to maintain its momentum in the ongoing and upcoming local body elections statewide.