Maharashtra Announces February 5 Polls for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis
Maharashtra's State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare officially declared the election schedule on Tuesday. Voters across twelve districts will head to the polls on February 5 to elect representatives for 12 zilla parishads and 125 panchayat samitis. The counting of votes will follow on February 7.
Supreme Court Grants Extension for Poll Process
This announcement comes after the Supreme Court granted an extension to the State Election Commission. The court allowed the commission to conduct these elections beyond the original January 31 deadline. While the SEC requested time until February 10, the apex court extended the deadline to February 15. The court specifically instructed the commission to complete polls for bodies that have not exceeded the 50 percent reservation limit.
Massive Electorate and Key Districts
A substantial electorate of 2.09 crore people will exercise their franchise in this phase. This includes 1.07 crore male voters, 1.02 crore female voters, and 473 voters from other categories. The elections will cover twelve key districts: Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Latur.
Commissioner Waghmare revealed a significant finding during the announcement. "We have identified 5,63,072 duplicate voters in ZP elections," he stated, highlighting efforts to ensure electoral integrity.
Detailed Election Schedule and Seat Distribution
The election commission released a clear timeline for the process. The official notification will be issued on January 16. Candidates can file their nominations from January 16 to January 21. Scrutiny of these nominations will occur on January 22. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 27, up to 3 PM. The final list of candidates and symbol distribution will be finalized after 3:30 PM on the same day.
In terms of seats, the 12 zilla parishads have a total of 731 seats. Reservations apply as follows: 369 seats are reserved for women, 83 for Scheduled Castes, 25 for Scheduled Tribes, and 191 for Other Backward Classes. The 125 panchayat samitis encompass 1,462 seats. Here, 731 seats are reserved for women, 166 for SC, 38 for ST, and 342 for OBC.
Voting Procedure and Broader Context
Each voter will cast two separate ballots in this election. They will vote once for their zilla parishad representative and a second time for their panchayat samiti member.
This phase addresses only a portion of the pending local body elections in Maharashtra. Elections for 32 zilla parishads and 336 panchayat samitis remain pending across the state. The commission prioritized these 12 districts and 125 samitis because they operate within the legal 50 percent reservation cap. Elections for the remaining 20 zilla parishads and 211 panchayat samitis, which exceed this cap, await further directives from the Supreme Court.
Currently, administrators oversee 32 of the state's 34 zilla parishads. Only Bhandara and Gondia operate with elected bodies, and their terms will continue until May 2027. Similarly, administrators manage 336 of the 351 total panchayat samitis in Maharashtra, where elections are now scheduled.
