The Election Commission has announced elections for 17 Maharashtra Legislative Council seats from local self-government constituencies, paving the way for a major expansion in the strength of the Upper
House ahead of the monsoon session of the state legislature.
Polling for the seats will be held on June 18, while counting of votes will take place on June 22. The notification for the election will be issued on May 25. The last date for filing nominations is June 1, scrutiny of applications will be conducted on June 2, and candidates can withdraw their nominations till June 4.
These seats have remained vacant for more than two-and-a-half years due to the non-conduct of local body elections across Maharashtra.
Since elections to municipal corporations, municipal councils and zilla parishads were delayed, fresh electoral colleges could not be formed for these Legislative Council constituencies. As a result, despite the expiry of terms of several sitting members, elections could not be conducted.
Under the rules, elections to local authority constituencies can be held only when at least 75 per cent of the total electorate is available. Of the total 78 members in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, 22 are elected from local self-government constituencies.
The announcement is politically significant as it comes months before crucial local body elections are expected in the state. The outcome is likely to be seen as an indicator of the current political mood across districts, especially after the recent shifts in Maharashtra’s political landscape.
The constituencies where elections will be held include Solapur, Ahilyanagar, Thane, Jalgaon, Sangli-Satara, Nanded, Yavatmal, Pune, Bhandara-Gondia, Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Nashik, Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli, Amravati, Dharashiv-Latur-Beed, Parbhani-Hingoli, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna and Nagpur.
With several senior leaders expected to enter the fray and parties beginning internal discussions over candidates, the elections are set to trigger fresh political activity across Maharashtra. The ruling Mahayuti alliance as well as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi are expected to treat the polls as an important prestige battle to strengthen their numbers in the Upper House.
