Mumbai, November 4, 2025 – The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has announced the dates for the upcoming civic polls, setting the stage for elections to 246 municipal councils (Nagar Parishads) and 42 nagar panchayats on December 2, with results to be declared on December 3. The announcement comes amidst a backdrop of opposition allegations concerning discrepancies and irregularities in the voter lists.
State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare revealed that the elections would elect 6,859 members and 288 presidents across the state. The nomination process is scheduled to commence on November 10 and conclude on November 17. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on November 18, and the final date for withdrawal of nominations is November 25.
The SEC's decision to proceed with the elections has been met with strong opposition from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), who have voiced concerns over alleged duplicate and fake entries in the electoral rolls. Leaders like Sanjay Raut and Raj Thackeray have previously claimed that the voter lists contain numerous inaccuracies, demanding a thorough cleanup before any polls are conducted. These opposition leaders have also accused the SEC of favoring the ruling Mahayuti Alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The opposition had requested the SEC to postpone the elections until the voter lists were corrected. Ambadas Danve, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, stated that there is a 'lack of clarity' on the voter lists. Anil Deshmukh, NCP(SP) leader, alleged that the Election Commission is working under pressure from the ruling parties.
Addressing these concerns, Commissioner Waghmare stated that the SEC has implemented a new mechanism to identify and address potential duplicate voters. According to the plan, potential duplicate voters will be marked with a (**) symbol on the list and contacted to confirm their intended polling station. Waghmare added that any potential duplicate voter appearing at a booth without responding beforehand will be strictly verified and required to sign a written declaration confirming they have not and will not vote elsewhere before being allowed to cast their ballot. The SEC is awaiting a response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the issues raised by the opposition.
Cabinet Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule dismissed the opposition's claims, calling them excuses anticipating defeat in the state polls. He noted that the same voter list was used in the Lok Sabha polls, where the MVA secured a victory.
The SEC has clarified that all local body elections, including municipal corporation elections, will be conducted before January 31, 2026, in compliance with a Supreme Court directive. While the schedule has been announced for nagar panchayats and nagar parishads, the dates for polls to 29 municipal corporations, 32 zilla parishads, and 336 panchayat samitis are yet to be declared.
Concerns have also been raised regarding the voter list of July 1 being used for the elections with allegations that it contains irregularities, including duplicate and bogus names. It has been reported that the ECI did not permit a special summary revision (SSR) in the state after October 1, 2024, because it was planning to conduct a more detailed special intensive revision (SIR).
