Maharashtra local body elections: Voter list timeline revised, dates yet to be announced

The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Tuesday announced a revised schedule for the preparation of voter lists for the upcoming elections to 29 municipal corporations in the state. The election dates are yet to be announced .

As part of the revised timetable, the time for authentication and publication of final ward-wise voter lists, after considering objections and suggestions, has been extended to December 15 from the earlier deadline of December 10. The deadline for the publication of the list of polling stations has been extended from December 15 to December 20, while the last date for the publication of polling station-wise voter lists has been pushed back from December 22 to December 27. The SEC has also directed municipal officials to contact its computerisation cell via email or phone in case of any technical difficulties during the voter list preparation process.

Questions have been raised about when the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra will take place. Although the State Election Commission has begun preparatory work, the exact dates for the municipal corporation elections have not yet been notified. However, based on existing timelines and judicial directions, the broader local body elections in the state are expected to be conducted in phases, with most of them likely to be completed by January 31, 2026. The specific schedule for municipal corporations is expected to be announced after the voter list preparation process is completed.

As per the revised schedule, draft ward-wise voter lists, based on the latest Assembly electoral rolls, were published in November. The period for filing objections and corrections concluded in early December. The final ward-wise voter lists are now scheduled to be authenticated and published by December 15.

The list of polling stations is to be published by December 20, and the polling station-wise voter lists are to be published by December 27. Election officials have said that these extensions were granted to improve the accuracy of voter data and to address technical and administrative issues faced by municipal bodies. With these preparatory steps now underway, the formal announcement of the election schedule is expected soon.