Maharashtra Votes in Phase 1 of Local Body Polls as Mahayuti–MVA Gear Up for Crucial Showdown

Maharashtra will enter the first phase of its much-awaited local body elections today, with polling scheduled across 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats. The election comes a year after the assembly polls and is marked by alliance strain, friendly fights and legal challenges.Nearly one crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this round, part of a staggered rural and urban civic election process that the Supreme Court has directed must conclude by January 31.Polling via EVMs will take place from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, with counting on December 3. A total of 6,042 seats and 264 council president posts will be decided.Mahayuti vs MVA in Main ContestThe elections will largely be a face-off between the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising

the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes the Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). In several areas, allies will also compete against one another.The outcome is expected to serve as an early indicator of political sentiment in the state after the Mahayuti’s sweeping victory in the 2024 assembly polls, where it won 235 out of 288 seats.

Polls Postponed in 24 Local BodiesElections in 24 civic bodies, originally slated for December 2, have been postponed to December 20 after judicial appeals challenged decisions made during the scrutiny of nomination papers.The State Election Commission (SEC) said irregularities were found in the withdrawal timeline and symbol allocation. In several cases, district courts issued appeal verdicts after November 22, and some candidates did not receive the mandatory three-day period to withdraw nominations as required under the Maharashtra Municipalities Election Rules.As a result, symbol allocation made after November 26 was deemed invalid. The SEC has stayed the election process in the affected bodies.For member seats, the stay applies only to the disputed positions. A fresh schedule has been issued for seats and president posts where appeal orders came on or after November 23.Campaign Ends, Media Ads Barred on Poll DayCampaigning for the 264 civic bodies ended at 10 pm on Monday. The SEC said newspapers, TV channels and digital media cannot run election advertisements on polling day under the “Media Regulation and Advertisement Certification Order, 2025.”Polling will also not take place for 154 seats in 76 other local bodies due to pending legal matters.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticised the SEC’s decision to delay some elections, calling it “wrong” and “unfair” to candidates who had completed the nomination process. While acknowledging the poll panel’s independence, he said its move to postpone elections because of pending petitions was unjustified.Fadnavis, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, campaigned actively for Mahayuti candidates. The BJP has already secured 100 councillor posts and three municipal president positions unopposed.New Voter Verification Measures in PlaceThe SEC has introduced new verification measures, including marking suspected duplicate voters with double stars and requiring strict identity checks at polling stations. It has also launched a mobile application offering information about candidates, voters and affidavits.These polls are part of a larger Supreme Court-mandated process to complete long-pending elections. Dates for 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, as well as 32 Zilla Parishads and 336 panchayat samitis are still awaited.