Maharashtra Legislative Council Elections Announced; Major Political Battle Ahead for 16 Local Authority Seats and Nagpur By-Election

Polling on June 18; Election Commission Releases Full Schedule

Mumbai: In a significant political development the Election Commission of India on Monday announced the schedule for the long-pending Maharashtra Legislative Council elections from 16 Local Authorities’ Constituencies, along with a by-election for one vacant seat in the Nagpur Local Authorities’ Constituency.

Voting for all the seats will be held on June 18, 2026, while the counting of votes will take place on June 22, 2026.

These elections had remained pending for several years due to the absence of the mandatory 75 percent elected representatives in local self government bodies. After the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer informed the Commission that the required conditions had now been fulfilled, the Election Commission officially declared the election programme.

Nagpur By-Election After Bawankule’s Resignation

The Nagpur Local Authorities’ Constituency seat became vacant after Chandrashekhar bawankule resigned following his election to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. The seat has remained vacant since November 23, 2024, leading to the announcement of a by-election.

Seats Going to Polls

Biennial elections will be conducted for the following 16 constituencies:

1. Solapur – Prashant Paricharak
2. Ahmednagar – Arunkaka Jagtap
3. Thane – Ravindra Phatak
4. Jalgaon – Chandubhai Patel
5. Sangli-Satara – Mohanrao Kadam
6. Nanded – Amarnath Rajurkar
7. Yavatmal – Dushyant Chaturvedi
8. Pune – Anil Bhosale
9. Bhandara-Gondia – Dr. Parinay Phuke
10. Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg – Aniket Tatkare
11. Nashik – Narendra Darade
12. Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli – Ramdas Ambatkar
13. Amravati – Pravin Pote
14. Osmanabad-Latur-Beed – Suresh Dhas
15. Parbhani-Hingoli – Viplav Bajoria
16. Aurangabad-Jalna – Ambadas Danve

Election Schedule

• Official Notification: May 25, 2026
• Last Date for Filing Nominations: June 1, 2026
• Scrutiny of Nominations: June 2, 2026
• Last Date for Withdrawal of Candidature: June 4, 2026
• Polling Date: June 18, 2026 (8:00 AM to 4:00 PM)
• Counting of Votes: June 22, 2026
• Completion of Election Process: June 25, 2026

With the announcement of these long-delayed elections, political activity across Maharashtra’s local self-government institutions is expected to intensify in the coming weeks, setting the stage for a crucial electoral contest ahead of the state’s larger political battles.