The political fate of hundreds of urban local bodies in Maharashtra is being decided today as the counting of votes for the 2025 local body elections commenced across the state. The process began at 10 a.m. on Sunday, marking the culmination of a closely watched electoral exercise.
High Voter Turnout and Uncontested Seats
The State Election Commission reported a robust voter participation in the two-phase polls. The first phase on December 2, covering 263 local bodies, saw a 67.3 per cent voter turnout. The second phase held on Saturday for 23 local bodies recorded a turnout of 47.04 per cent. The final consolidated figures are expected later in the day.
In a few instances, the electoral battle was decided even before counting started. Elections for the posts of president in the Dondaicha Municipal Council (Dhule) and Angar Nagar Panchayat (Solapur), as well as the Jammer municipal president poll, were uncontested.
A Multi-Cornered Political Contest
These local body elections have presented a complex political landscape. While the broader contest is between the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the battle has additional layers. In several areas, partners of the ruling alliance—including the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—are locked in direct contests against each other, leading to what political observers term as "friendly fights."
Scale of the Electoral Exercise
The Maharashtra State Election Commission conducted elections for a total of 288 urban local bodies. This included 246 Municipal Councils and 42 Nagar Panchayats spread across all six administrative divisions of the state. The polls were held in two phases on December 2 and December 20.
The massive electoral process involved a total electorate of 1,07,03,576 voters. This comprised 53,79,931 men, 53,22,870 women, and 775 voters from other categories. They exercised their franchise at approximately 13,355 polling stations set up across the state.
As the counting progresses, all eyes are on the outcomes that will shape the governance of Maharashtra's towns and smaller cities for the coming term. The results are seen as a significant mid-term indicator of the political mood in the state.
