Elections for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats across Maharashtra will be held on December 2, with counting scheduled for December 3, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare announced on Tuesday
Addressing a press conference, Waghmare confirmed that the final voter list will be published on November 7, following the completion of the voter registration process. A total of 1.7 crore are eligible to cast their votes this election.
Voting will be conducted through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and ballot units, while VVPATs will not be used, he clarified.
Each municipal council will have a single-member ward, and a total of 13,355 polling stations will be set up across the state. Over 66,775 election officers and staff will be deployed to manage the election process.
Important Dates:
Start of nomination filing: November 10
Last date for filing nominations: November 17
Scrutiny of nomination papers: November 18
Last date for withdrawal of nominations (without appeal): November 21
Last date for withdrawal of nominations (with appeal): November 25
Date of polling: December 2
Date of counting: December 3
The SEC order also sets clear expenditure limits for candidates. For municipal corporation elections, the cap has been fixed at Rs 10 lakh per candidate; for municipal councils and nagar panchayats, between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh depending on the category; and for zilla parishad and panchayat samiti polls, between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh.
To make voting more accessible, a special mobile app will be launched for voters to locate their polling stations, check their names on the voter list, and view information about candidates.
The Election Commission has also announced measures to prevent irregularities in the voter rolls. Duplicate voter names will be marked with a ‘double star’ symbol, and strict vigilance will be maintained to ensure fair elections.
Polling staff will receive specific instructions on where to keep their mobile phones during duty.
All polling stations will have arrangements for electricity, water, and seating to ensure voter convenience.
Additionally, ‘pink booths’ managed by women staff and police personnel will be set up to encourage female participation.
Maharashtra has 53 lakh male and 53.22 lakh female voters eligible to vote in this round of elections.
All District Collectors and Chief Executive Officers have been directed to launch extensive voter awareness campaigns.
Along with traditional media, the Election Commission, through a letter dated June 12, has urged officials to effectively utilise new-age media platforms to reach a wider audience.
The Commission has also issued detailed guidelines and recommendations on voter awareness, encouraging local authorities to implement innovative initiatives at their respective levels to engage and motivate citizens to vote.
