Eyebrows Raised As NCP Leader Announces Tentative Dates For Maharashtra Local Body Polls
Mumbai, November 3, 2025 – A senior leader from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Dilip Walse Patil, has stirred controversy by announcing tentative dates for the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra, pre-empting a formal announcement from the State Election Commission (SEC). The announcement has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum, with many questioning the propriety of releasing such sensitive information before the official electoral body.
The NCP, led by Ajit Pawar, is currently part of the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, which also includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde). Walse Patil stated that elections to Zilla Parishads are likely to be held around December 15, while polls for municipal corporations may take place around January 15.
The SEC has yet to formally announce the schedule for the local body polls. State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare had previously stated in July that the schedule would be announced after completing necessary pre-election exercises. In August, Waghmare indicated that the election process would commence post-Diwali and aim to conclude by early 2026. Official sources had also suggested that the elections would be held in three phases, with Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis in November, Municipal Corporations and Nagar Panchayats in December, and metropolitan municipalities, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in January 2026.
The local body elections in Maharashtra have been delayed for several years, and the Supreme Court has set a deadline of January 31, 2026, for them to be conducted. These elections are considered significant, with a large number of local bodies, including 29 municipal corporations and 34 Zilla Parishads, awaiting elections. For urban areas, all 29 municipal corporations and 248 municipal councils are currently run by administrators, while in rural Maharashtra, administrators manage 32 out of 34 Zilla Parishads and 336 out of 351 Panchayat Samitis.
The announcement comes amidst demands from the opposition for the postponement of the elections due to alleged irregularities in the voter lists. Concerns have been raised about duplicate and bogus names, prompting the SEC to order verification of voter lists. The SEC has instructed officials to verify and address possible duplicate names in voter lists ahead of the elections to maintain transparency. Voters suspected of duplication will be asked to submit a declaration indicating their designated polling station.
Political parties like Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP (SP), and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have called for rectification of electoral roll anomalies. Opposition parties have also raised concerns about the cut-off date for voter registration, arguing that those who turned 18 after July 1 should also be allowed to vote.
The NCP has hinted at the possibility of contesting the local body elections independently, except in the BMC where the Mahayuti alliance is expected to fight together. Senior NCP leader Praful Patel stated that decisions on alliances would be made at the local level. However, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that the Mahayuti constituents are free to contest local bodies elections independently to help strengthen the cadres.
The local body polls are viewed as mini-assembly elections, and all eyes are now on the SEC to announce the official schedule and address the concerns raised by the opposition regarding the voter lists. The political atmosphere is charged, and the coming weeks are expected to witness intense campaigning and strategic alliances as parties gear up for these crucial elections.
