Maharashtra Civic Polls Announcement Today: State Election Commission to Hold Press Conference at 4 PM

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Mumbai: The long wait for local body elections in Maharashtra may finally come to an end today. The State Election Commission is set to hold a press conference at 4 PM in Mumbai, where State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare is expected to announce the schedule for the upcoming civic polls. All political parties in the state are keeping a close watch on this much-anticipated announcement.

First Phase Likely to Cover Municipalities and Councils

According to sources, the first phase of elections is likely to include municipalities and municipal councils, followed by gram panchayat and other rural body elections. The commission is reportedly aiming to conduct elections for 29 municipalities, including Mumbai, between January 15 and 20, 2026. Voting for municipal and municipal council polls is expected to take place in November, while district council and panchayat samiti elections may follow in December.

Officials say the delay in the rural elections was mainly due to heavy rainfall and flood relief operations, which have kept government machinery occupied in various parts of the state.

Opposition Raises Objections Over Voter List

The announcement comes amid strong objections from opposition parties, who have alleged major irregularities in the voter list released on July 1. They claim that duplicate and fake names have been included in large numbers, putting the integrity of the election process in question.

For the past few years, the local body polls had been delayed due to ward delimitation and OBC reservation issues, both of which have now been resolved. If the commission proceeds with today’s announcement, it will likely include elections for 246 municipalities and 42 municipal councils in the first phase.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Threatens Legal Action

The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction has announced plans to approach the court with evidence if the alleged voter list errors are not corrected before polling. “Conducting elections without fixing these flaws will damage democratic integrity,” a party spokesperson said.

However, election officials have clarified that once the notification is issued, judicial intervention becomes difficult.

Recently, NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader and minister Dilip Walse Patil hinted at possible dates, suggesting that district council elections could be held on December 15 and municipal corporation polls on January 15, 2026.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has directed that the long-pending local body elections in Maharashtra must be completed by January 31, 2026, setting a clear deadline for the process.

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