Maharashtra To Hold Civic Elections Across 29 Municipal Corporations On January 15

Authorities will conduct voting on Thursday for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including the politically significant Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The State Election Commission (SEC) has scheduled the counting of votes for Friday, January 16.

Initially, elections were planned for 2,869 seats across the civic bodies. However, officials declared 68 candidates elected unopposed, bringing the total number of seats going to the polls down to 2,801.

The list covers prominent cities such as Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Thane, Nashik and Navi Mumbai.

Two newly constituted municipal corporations—Jalna and Ichalkaranji—are participating in the elections for the first time.

Several of these civic bodies have functioned under administrators since elected terms ended between 2020 and 2023.

Different voting systems apply across regions. In Mumbai’s BMC, authorities follow a single-member ward system, allowing voters to cast one vote for one representative.

The remaining 28 corporations operate under a multi-member ward system, with most wards electing four representatives.

Authorities have undertaken an extensive logistical exercise to accommodate nearly 3.48 crore eligible voters.

According to the SEC, the state has set up 39,147 polling stations, deploying 43,958 Control Units and 87,916 Ballot Units.

Mumbai alone accounts for 10,111 polling stations, supported by 11,349 Control Units and 22,698 Ballot Units, highlighting the scale of arrangements in the state capital.

Election officials have used the Assembly voter lists updated as of July 1, 2025, for the polls.

Potential duplicate names in ward-wise lists were marked with double asterisks and verified through door-to-door checks.

Voters whose names remain unverified must submit an indemnity bond along with valid identity proof at the polling booth.

To assist voters, the SEC has also launched a mobile application enabling citizens to check voter details, polling stations and candidate information.

Election officials will give special priority to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women and mothers with infants. They have ensured the availability of ramps and wheelchairs at all polling stations and have set up women-managed ‘Pink Booths’ in areas with high female voter turnout.

To maintain secrecy and prevent disputes, authorities have strictly prohibited mobile phones inside polling booths.

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