The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) Monday announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and neighbouring Thane and Navi Mumbai civic bodies, on January 15, 2026. The counting will be held the next day.
The annnouncement comes after a significant gap since the term of previous elected corporators expired, with the BMC running without elected representatives since March 2022.
Announcing the dates at the Sahyadri Guest House, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said that more than 3.48 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in these civic bodies covering major urban centres of the state.
The state is expected to witness intense political competition during the elections, with local bodies playing a crucial role in urban governance and political mobilisation for future Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Model Code of Conduct will be in force across all municipal corporation areas in the state with immediate effect, Waghmare said.
The elections would cover 2,869 seats, including 227 seats in the BMC, making it one of the largest urban local body polls in the country. The 29 corporations include two newly formed bodies, Jalna and Ichalkaranji.
The Commission clarified that the election process will be conducted subject to the final outcome of pending cases before the Supreme Court. Polling will take place from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm.
While five corporations completed their term in 2020, as many as 18 ended their tenure in 2022, and four in 2023, leading to prolonged administrative rule in several cities.
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Unlike other cities, the BMC will follow a single-member ward system, where each voter will cast only one vote.
The remaining 28 corporations will follow a multi-member ward system, with wards electing three to five councillors, requiring voters to cast multiple votes depending on the ward structure.
According to the Commission, 39,147 polling stations have been set up along with 43,958 control units and 87,916 ballot units. Mumbai will have over 10,100 polling stations, serviced by more than 11,000 control units.
Final ward-wise voters’ lists were published on December 15, Waghmare said adding that the Commission has taken special measures to identify potential duplicate voters, with names marked and field verification conducted. Mumbai has developed a separate software application to detect duplicates, while other corporations have adopted similar technological methods.
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When asked about the existing dual voters or duplicate voters, Waghmare said, “A list of potential repeat voters has been compiled and marking has been made in front of their names. A survey has been conducted by visiting the homes of potential repeat voters and their polling station has been noted. Some repeat voters have not responded. An undertaking will be taken from them and voting will be conducted only after their identity is verified. There are around 15 lakh dual registration of voters across the state of which 11.5 lakh dual voters registration is in Mumbai.”
Waghmare also said that he has apprised the Opposition parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) about the issue of the duplicate voters and the announcement is being made only after fulfilling their queries.
He said that, the voters can verify their names, polling stations and candidate details through the ‘Matadhikar’ mobile application or the State Election Commission’s voter portal.
Campaigning will end at 5.30 pm on January 13, which is 48 hours before polling closes, in line with provisions of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act and the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act.
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Publication or broadcast of political advertisements in any form after this deadline will be prohibited.
Municipal-level Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMC) will be set up to pre-certify political advertisements, monitor paid news and oversee media coverage. A state-level committee will function under the Election Commission’s secretary to ensure the smooth voting and campaigning and take necessary steps incase of any controversial statements are made or model code of conduct is violated.
With political stakes high, particularly in Mumbai and other major cities, the Commission has directed civic authorities to intensify voter awareness campaigns, especially in urban areas where turnout has traditionally remained low.
As per the SEC’s schedule, nominations will be accepted from December 23 to December 30. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on December 31, while candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations on January 2. The final list of contesting candidates, along with the allotment of election symbols, will be published on January 3.
Of the total 2,869 seats, 1,442 are reserved for women. Among social category reservations, 341 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes, 77 for Scheduled Tribes, and 759 seats for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
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Poll arrangements
Special arrangements will be made at polling stations for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women and voters with infants, including ramps, wheelchairs, drinking water and sanitation facilities. Polling stations with all-women staff will be designated as ‘pink booths’ in areas with high female voter turnout.
The Commission said nearly 1.96 lakh election personnel have been deployed, including about 290 election officers and 870 assistant officers.
