Mumbai, Jan 29 Due to the three-day state mourning declared following the untimely death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the schedule for the remaining phases of the general elections for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis has been revised.
Voting, originally scheduled for February 5, will now take place on February 7. Consequently, the counting of votes has been moved from February 7 to February 9, said the State Election Commission (SEC) in a statement.
The SEC originally announced the election programme for these local bodies on January 13. The 12 zilla parishads, which are well within the 50 per cent quota limit, include Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, and Kolhapur, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Latur. The 125 panchayat samitis, which will go for polls, fall under these 12 zilla parishads.
The initial stages—including the filing of nominations, withdrawal of candidacies, allocation of symbols, and the publication of the final list of candidates—have already been completed. The remaining stages involve voting, counting, and the official notification of the winning members in the Government Gazette.
The Supreme Court had granted an extension of only two weeks beyond January 31, 2026, for these elections. However, following the tragic accidental demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on January 28, the state government declared a period of mourning from January 28 to January 30, 2026.
“Considering this period, the following changes have been made. As per the official notification, concerned District Collectors will publish the revised election notice on January 31, 2026. The voting will be held on February 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., public campaigning must conclude by 10:00 p.m. on February 5, and the counting of votes will begin at 10:00 a.m. on February 9,” said the SEC statement.
The Model Code of Conduct will end immediately after the results are declared. The names of the elected members will be published in the Government Gazette by February 11.
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