Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad Election 2026: ECI Announces Dates for 9 Seats, Polling to Be Held on May 12

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has officially sounded the poll bugle for the biennial elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC). Nine crucial seats, currently held by members elected by the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), are set to fall vacant on May 13, 2026. This election is poised to be a significant litmus test for the state’s political heavyweights, especially with high-profile figures like former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray among the retiring members. As the notification is slated for release next Thursday, political parties are bracing for a period of intense lobbying, strategic alliances, and numerical calculations to secure their presence in the Upper House. The elections will be held on May 12, and counting of votes will be held in the evening on same day.

The electoral arithmetic based on the current strength of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly suggests a dominant position for the ruling Mahayuti alliance. With a quota of 28 votes required per candidate, the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and NCP (Ajit Pawar) collectively command enough numbers to comfortably secure eight out of the nine seats. Conversely, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), with its 46 MLAs, can easily win only one seat. To clinch a second seat, the opposition would need to bridge a deficit of 10 votes, a task that appears daunting unless significant cross-voting occurs. The potential for a contest remains high if the Mahayuti decides to field an extra candidate.

Internal competition is particularly fierce within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where a long list of aspirants has emerged. Prominent names like Keshav Upadhye, Madhavi Naik, and Ranajit Singh Nimbalkar are reportedly in the fray, alongside those who missed out on recent Rajya Sabha berths. The party must also decide whether to renominate retiring members such as Ranijitsinh Mohite-Patil and Pravin Datke or introduce fresh faces to rejuvenate its legislative rank. For the Shiv Sena (UBT), the focus remains on the future of Uddhav Thackeray’s seat, while the NCP factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar are meticulously planning their respective nomination strategies.

Beyond these nine seats, the state’s political landscape is also buzzing with the possibility of filling 17 long-vacant MLC seats from Local Authorities' constituencies. These positions have remained empty for nearly two and a half years due to delayed local body polls. Reports suggest that a formal proposal to conduct these elections—covering major districts like Thane, Pune, Solapur, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar—will soon be submitted to the Central Election Commission. Although some Zilla Parishad elections are still pending, sources indicate there are no legal hurdles to proceeding with these 17 seats, potentially triggering a massive electoral exercise across Maharashtra in the near future.

Also Read: Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad Election 2026: Polling Dates Likely to Be Announced for 17 Local Body Seats

Key Election Schedule

List of Retiring Members