Maharashtra Municipal Elections: Campaigning to End Today at 5:30 PM, Silence Period to Begin

Mumbai: Campaigning for the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation elections will come to a complete halt today, Tuesday, at 5:30 PM, marking the beginning of the mandatory 48-hour silence period ahead of polling. During this period, all forms of electioneering will be strictly prohibited, and the State Election Commission will keep a close watch to ensure compliance.

The Election Commission has appealed to all candidates and political parties to strictly adhere to the Model Code of Conduct. As today is the final day of campaigning, political parties are expected to carry out large-scale roadshows and rallies to demonstrate their strength before the deadline.

The State Election Commission had announced elections for 29 municipal corporations on December 15, 2025. Since then, the state has witnessed an intense phase of nominations, public meetings, rallies, processions, and padayatras. As per the Commission’s directives, no public meetings, rallies, roadshows, or processions will be allowed after 5:30 PM today. The use of loudspeakers, DJs, microphones, and sound systems will also be completely banned. Additionally, appealing for votes through social media, SMS, phone calls, or any other medium will be prohibited during the silence period.

Polling for the municipal corporations will take place on January 15, starting at 7:30 AM and continuing until 5:30 PM. The counting of votes is scheduled for January 16. The Election Commission has made extensive arrangements to ensure that the polling process is conducted in a peaceful, free, and fair manner.

Across the 29 municipal corporations, elections are being held for a total of 2,869 seats, with 15,931 candidates in the fray. A total of 34,878,017 voters will decide the fate of these candidates, including 18,193,666 male voters, 16,679,755 female voters, and 4,596 voters from other categories. For smooth conduct of polling, 39,147 polling stations have been set up across the state.

In Mumbai, 1,700 candidates are contesting for 227 seats. Thane Municipal Corporation has 656 candidates for 131 seats, Kalyan-Dombivli has 489 candidates for 122 seats, Ulhasnagar has 432 candidates for 78 seats, Navi Mumbai has 499 candidates for 111 seats, Mira-Bhayandar has 435 candidates for 95 seats, and Bhiwandi-Nizampur has 439 candidates contesting for 90 seats.

The Election Commission has reiterated its commitment to ensuring a transparent and orderly electoral process across Maharashtra.