Daijiworld Media Network - Solapur

Solapur, Feb 6: The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has scheduled elections to 12 Zilla Parishads (ZP) and 125 Panchayat Samitis (PS) across the state on February 7, 2026, marking the return of rural local body polls in several districts, including Solapur, after nearly nine years.

According to the SEC’s statistical report, the last Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in Solapur district were held on February 21, 2017, as part of Maharashtra’s rural local body elections in the Pune division.

In the 2017 polls, the Solapur Zilla Parishad had 68 seats, while 136 seats were contested across Panchayat Samitis. As per the 2011 Census, the district’s population stood at 29,22,221. The total electorate numbered 21,44,393 voters, of whom 14,49,044 exercised their franchise, recording a voter turnout of 67.57 per cent.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) emerged as the single largest party in the 2017 Zilla Parishad elections, winning 23 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) followed with 14 seats, while the Congress secured seven seats and the Shiv Sena won five. Parties registered with the State Election Commission won 12 seats, while Independent candidates claimed seven seats. No seats were won by the BSP, CPI, CPI(M) or MNS.

At the Panchayat Samiti level, the NCP again topped the charts with 44 seats out of 136. The BJP won 33 seats, Congress 17, and Shiv Sena nine. Parties registered with the SEC secured 20 seats, while Independent candidates won 13 seats. The NCP recorded its strongest taluka-wise performance in Madha and Malshiras with 14 seats each, while the BJP registered its highest tally of seven seats each in Barshi, Malshiras and Pandharpur.

Statewide, a total of 731 Zilla Parishad seats and 1,462 Panchayat Samiti seats will be contested in the upcoming elections, with around 2.09 crore eligible voters expected to participate. Voters will cast two votes—one each for the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti—using Electronic Voting Machines. The polls will be conducted across 25,482 polling stations with the deployment of over 1.28 lakh personnel.

The electoral rolls finalised on July 1, 2025, will be used for the elections, with no provision for additions or deletions at this stage. Polling will be held from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm on February 7, while counting of votes is scheduled for February 9 from 10 am.

Meanwhile, elections to the remaining 22 Zilla Parishads in Maharashtra continue to remain on hold, pending a Supreme Court verdict on reservations exceeding the 50 per cent cap.