Mumbai, Oct 30 (NationPress) The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has permitted an extension for the supplementary voters' list until October 15, superseding the earlier deadline of July 1 for the forthcoming local and civic body elections in the state, as confirmed by officials on Thursday.

The state electoral authority may postpone the announcement of the nomination process for elections in rural local bodies.

"We had submitted a request to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide an updated voters' list with a deadline of October 15 by October 24. Unfortunately, we received no reply. However, we can incorporate the new list if it is received before we declare the nomination process," a senior SEC official stated.

The SEC had formally communicated with the ECI to supply the voters' list updated until October 15.

"The rationale behind this request is to maximize voter participation. Additionally, the supplementary list encompasses both the addition and removal of names. This updated list will reflect changes made from July 1 to October 15," the official elaborated.

The publication of the voters' list for rural local bodies, including municipal councils and municipal panchayats, has already been finalized in the state.

Originally, the voters' list was published on October 8, with a suggestion and objection deadline set for October 13, later extended to October 17.

The final ward-wise list was unveiled on October 28.

If the SEC's appeal is accepted by the ECI, the entire procedure must be redone for the supplementary voters' list, incorporating both additions and removals that occurred between July 1 and October 15.

A delegation of key opposition figures met with the SEC and the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in early October, questioning the July 1 deadline for the voters' list.

The opposition had urged a postponement to November 7.

Responding to this pressure, the SEC reached out to the ECI, seeking the voters' list to be extended until October 15.

In the meantime, on Thursday, the SEC disclosed the spending cap for the upcoming local body polls in Maharashtra.

According to the announcement, the upper limit for expenses in Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur municipal corporations is set at Rs 15 lakh for each candidate.

For Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nasik, and Thane, the limit is Rs 13 lakh, while for Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Vasai-Virar, it will be Rs 11 lakh.

For the remaining 19 municipal corporations, the cap will be Rs 9 lakh.

This decision to raise the election expenditure limit was made in light of at least a 40 percent increase in the Wholesale Price Index and Consumer Price Index from 2014-15 to 2024-25.