The Maharashtra State Election Commission has officially announced the schedule for elections to Municipal Councils (Nagar Parishads) and Municipal Panchayats (Nagar Panchayats) across the state. The polls, which will cover both urban and semi-urban areas, are expected to see intense political competition as local bodies form the backbone of grassroots governance.

Here are 5 points about the Maharashtra civic body elections to know.

The local body elections will be held across 246 Municipal Councils (Nagar Parishads) and 42 Municipal Panchayats (Nagar Panchayats).

According to the election schedule, the nomination process will begin on November 10 and continue until November 17. The scrutiny of nominations will be held on November 18, while the withdrawal of nominations will take place by November 21 in cases where no appeal is filed, and by November 25 in cases involving appeals. The final list of candidates will be published on November 26.

Voters across Maharashtra will cast their ballots on December 2, and the counting of votes will be conducted the next day, on December 3, marking the culmination of the electoral process.

The Election Commission has confirmed a total of 1,07,03,576 registered voters for these elections. The demographic breakdown includes 53.79 lakh male voters, 53.22 lakh female voters, and 775 transgender voters, reflecting a nearly balanced gender ratio in the electoral rolls.

Addressing concerns about duplicate voter entries, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said that the issue is being tackled with the utmost seriousness.

“Duplicate name issues have been seriously considered. A tool has been developed where suspected duplicate voters are being shown with double stars on the list. Wherever such a double star is seen, concerned officials will reach out to them to take information about where the voter will be voting,” Waghmare explained.

He further added that if duplicate voters fail to respond to officials, their names will be flagged at all voting centers, and an affidavit will be taken to ensure that each person votes only once. This initiative aims to enhance transparency and maintain the integrity of the electoral rolls.

The upcoming municipal and panchayat elections are expected to be a closely watched battle and may serve as a major indicator of grassroots political sentiment in Maharashtra ahead of larger state and national contests.