Maharashtra’s Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections have been pushed to February 7 after a sudden development triggered a three-day state mourning. With over 2 crore voters, the schedule change raises key questions ahead of polling.
Polling for elections to the 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis will now be held on February 7
Mumbai: The State Election Commission (SEC) of Maharashtra announced on Thursday that the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections will now be held on February 7, with vote counting scheduled for February 9.
The rescheduling comes in view of the three-day mourning declared following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a tragic plane crash in Baramati on Thursday.
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The SEC had earlier announced the election dates on January 13, with polling originally scheduled for February 5 and counting on February 7. The elections were planned following directions from the Supreme Court, which had granted a two-week extension beyond January 31 to conduct the polls.
The elections will be conducted across 12 districts: Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Solapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dharashiv, Latur, and Parbhani. For the polls, the SEC will set up 25,482 polling stations, and approximately 2.09 crore voters will be eligible to cast their votes, including 1.02 crore women.
Each voter will cast two votes: one for the Zilla Parishad and another for the Panchayat Samiti. In total, 431 members will be elected across the 12 Zilla Parishads, while 1,462 members will be elected in the 125 Panchayat Samitis.
Of the 1,462 Panchayat Samiti seats, 431 are reserved for women, 166 for Scheduled Castes (SCs), 38 for Scheduled Tribes (STs), and 342 for Other Backward Classes (OBCs). These reservations reflect the state’s ongoing efforts to ensure inclusive representation in local governance.
The elections are a key part of Maharashtra’s local governance system, providing citizens with the opportunity to elect representatives to grassroots institutions. The SEC has urged voters to participate actively and ensure that polling is conducted smoothly and peacefully.
With the new schedule, authorities and voters have additional time to prepare, while the state continues to mourn the loss of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, whose passing has cast a shadow over the election process.
