Ajit Pawar Death: Maharashtra Zilla Parishad–Panchayat Samiti Elections 2026 Postponed; Check New Dates

Maharashtra state is mourning after death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in plane crash tragedy. State has declared a three-day mourning period, due to which the remaining phases of the general elections for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis under them have been rescheduled. Voting will now take place on February 7, 2026, instead of February 5, 2026, and the counting of votes will be held on February 9, 2026, instead of February 7, 2026.

The State Election Commission had announced the election schedule for these Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis on January 13, 2026.  Accordingly, the processes for filing nominations, withdrawal of nominations, allocation of symbols, and publication of the final list of contesting candidates have been completed. The remaining stages are voting, counting of votes, and publication of the names of the elected members in the Government Gazette.

The Hon'ble Supreme Court had granted an extension of only two weeks beyond January 31, 2026, for these elections. However, due to the accidental death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on January 28, 2026, the state government declared a period of mourning from January 28, 2026, to January 30, 2026. Considering this period, changes have been made to the remaining phases of the election schedule for the Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis.

Accordingly, the respective District Collectors will publish the notification of the revised election schedule on January 31, 2026. Voting will now be held on February 7, 2026, from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Therefore, the public campaigning will end at 10 PM on February 5, 2026. The counting of votes will begin at 10 AM on February 9, 2026, at the respective locations. The code of conduct will end at the respective locations after the declaration of results. The names of the elected members will be published in the Government Gazette by February 11, 2026.