Ahead of the Maharashtra local body elections, the process of filing nominations for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats in state began on Monday, reported the PTI.
The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) said that the total number of nominations filed on the first day will be announced later in the evening. The deadline for submitting nominations is November 17, followed by scrutiny of forms on November 18. Candidates can withdraw nominations by November 21, or by 25 in case of appeals, as per the PTI.
Polling will take place on December 2 using EVMs, to elect 6,859 members and 288 presidents, with vote counting scheduled for December 3.
Around 1.07 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots.
A nagar parishad (municipal council) governs smaller urban areas and is responsible for local administration and development, while a nagar panchayat administers areas transitioning from rural to urban, with populations between 12,000 and 40,000.
The division-wise distribution of municipal councils and nagar panchayats is: Konkan – 27, Nashik – 49, Pune – 60, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar – 52, Amravati – 45, and Nagpur – 55.
Political parties are finalising alliances and deciding which local bodies to contest, either together or separately.
In Konkan, attention is on a potential alliance of non-BJP parties against Sindhudurg Guardian Minister Nitesh Rane in the Kankavli Nagar Panchayat.
In Nashik, the local Congress unit favours an alliance with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), though state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal opposes it, the news agency reported.
Meanwhile, former NCP MP Sameer Bhujbal on Monday met state minister Girish Mahajan in Nashik, sparking political speculation about possible seat-sharing talks between the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the BJP, reported the PTI.
Sources told the PTI that the meeting was part of ongoing efforts by the ruling alliance to finalise coordination strategies and seat adjustments for the civic elections scheduled for December 2.
The leaders reportedly held detailed discussions about the political situation in Yeola constituency and preparations for polls to the Yeola Municipal Council, Nandgaon, and Manmad civic bodies, as per the PTI.
Earlier on Saturday, BJP’s Nashik district election in-charge and MLA Dr Rahul Aher met Bhujbal at his Yeola office, accompanied by district president Yatin Kadam, youth wing chief Sameer Samdadiya, and former Manmad municipal president Ganesh Dhatrak, sources said, according to the PTI.
Once the discussions are concluded, both parties are expected to make a formal announcement regarding their alliance strategy for the upcoming local body polls.
(with PTI inputs)
