Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Dec 15: The State Election Commission on Monday announced the election schedule for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra. Addressing a press conference, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said polling for all the civic bodies will be held on January 15, while counting of votes will take place on January 16.
According to the schedule, the filing of nomination papers will begin on December 23 and continue till December 30, 2025. Scrutiny of nominations will be conducted on December 31, 2025, and January 2, 2026, will be the last date for withdrawal of candidature. Polling will be held on January 15, followed by the declaration of results on January 16.
Waghmare said that, except for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), voters in other municipal corporations will have to cast votes for three, four or five candidates simultaneously, depending on the ward structure.
During the press conference, the Election Commissioner also addressed questions raised by journalists regarding confusion over duplicate voters and voter addresses. He clarified that the State Election Commission will use the electoral rolls of the Election Commission of India, updated till July 1, 2025, for these elections.
“We have identified duplicate voters in the list and action is underway. There were also complaints, including one from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation area, where around 150 voters were shown at the residence of the municipal commissioner,” Waghmare said.
Explaining the issue, he said the matter was investigated and it was found that the ‘section address’ mentioned in the voter list was being mistaken for a residential address. “A section address is not the voter’s actual residence but a landmark linked to the address. The voters were residing in that particular area,” he explained.
He also referred to another complaint from Navi Mumbai, where it was alleged that 10 voters were registered at a toilet address. “On verification, it was found that people were residing on the first and second floors of the building where the toilet was located. Earlier, they lived above the structure, which is why the address appeared as such,” Waghmare clarified.
The Election Commissioner said the Commission has taken note of all such issues and ensured that the voter list used for the upcoming municipal elections is accurate and free from discrepancies.