Following the Supreme Court's directive to conduct long-pending local body elections within four months, the Maharashtra State Election Commission has begun extensive preparations. State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare on Friday announced that the elections will be conducted in three phases, in line with administrative planning.
The upcoming elections will cover a wide scope, including 29 Municipal Corporations, 257 Municipal Councils, 26 Zilla Parishads, and 288 Panchayat Samitis. The entire election process is expected to take three to three and a half months, with polling tentatively scheduled for October 2025.
As per the proposed schedule:
Phase 1: Elections will be held in North and South Maharashtra.
Phase 2: Vidarbha, West Maharashtra, and Marathwada will go to the polls.
Phase 3: Voting will take place in Mumbai, Thane, and Konkan regions.
The Commissioner noted that conducting elections in a single phase would require around 1.5 lakh Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). However, the State Election Commission currently has access to only 65,000 EVMs. This shortage has necessitated the decision to hold the elections in three stages.
Waghmare also confirmed that the ward structure for the elections will be based on the 2011 census. Adjustments in ward boundaries and configurations will be implemented in certain areas to reflect demographic changes.
Earlier, the Commission had issued letters to all Municipal Corporations and Zilla Parishads, instructing them to complete the formation of wards, sub-wards (gans), and groups by the end of June 2025.
The Supreme Court, during a hearing on May 6, 2025, had ordered the Maharashtra government to hold local body elections—delayed for nearly three years—within four months. In compliance with the court’s directive, the Election Commission aims to complete polling by October.
However, before finalizing the official election schedule, the commission plans to consult Meteorological Department experts to assess rainfall patterns and ensure the elections are not disrupted by the monsoon.
Key Highlights:
Local body elections to be conducted in three phases by October 2025.
Over 600 local bodies to go to polls.
Ward delimitation based on 2011 census data.
Only 65,000 EVMs available against the need for 1.5 lakh.
Monsoon forecast will play a role in deciding the final schedule.