Elections to 17 seats in the local bodies’ constituencies of the Maharashtra Legislative Council are likely to be held soon. Despite pending elections in 20 Zilla Parishads, officials say there are no procedural hurdles to conducting these polls.
Voters in these constituencies include corporators of municipal corporations and councils, members of Zilla Parishads and chairpersons of Panchayat Samitis. However, due to delays in local body elections across the state, these Legislative Council seats have remained vacant for nearly two-and-a-half years after the expiry of earlier members’ terms.
A report on the 17 constituencies is expected to be sent to the Election Commission of India by the office of Chief Electoral Officer S Chokkalingam within the next few days. Following this, the poll schedule is likely to be announced.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance is expected to have an advantage in these seats due to its numerical strength, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi may face a challenge.
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Although elections have been conducted recently in some municipal bodies and 12 Zilla Parishads, polls are still pending in 20 Zilla Parishads. Maharashtra has a total of 34 Zilla Parishads, with currently elected bodies in Bhandara and Gondia, whose term ends in 2027.
As per Election Commission norms, Legislative Council elections from local body constituencies can be held if at least 75% of the total electorate is in place. Since this condition is met in the 17 constituencies, the elections can proceed without waiting for the remaining Zilla Parishad polls.
Elections to nine Legislative Council seats elected by MLAs are also expected to be announced within the next four to five days. Based on the current strength in the Assembly, the BJP is likely to secure five seats, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) two, NCP (Ajit Pawar) one and Maha Vikas Aghadi one. With the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) holding an additional 13 votes, there is a possibility of contesting an extra seat, which could prevent an uncontested election.
Constituencies Likely to Go to Polls
The 17 local body constituencies where elections are likely include: Solapur, Ahilyanagar, Thane, Jalgaon, Sangli–Satara, Nanded, Yavatmal, Pune, Bhandara–Gondia, Raigad–Ratnagiri–Sindhudurg, Nashik, Wardha–Chandrapur–Gadchiroli, Amravati, Dharashiv–Latur–Beed, Parbhani–Hingoli, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar–Jalna and Nagpur.