New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Monday announced biennial elections for 16 seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from Local Authorities’ Constituencies, with polling scheduled to take place on June 18, 2026.
In an official press note, the Commission said the terms of office of members representing 16 Local Authorities’ Constituencies in Maharashtra had expired over different periods between 2022 and 2025. However, elections could not be conducted earlier due to non-fulfilment of mandatory criteria related to functioning local bodies and availability of electors.
The Election Commission stated that, as per its guidelines, at least 75 per cent of local bodies in a constituency must be functional and at least 75 per cent of electors should be in position for elections to be conducted. The Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra has now informed the Commission that the required conditions have been fulfilled in all the concerned constituencies.
Details On Constituencies To Go For Polling
The constituencies going to polls include Solapur, Ahmednagar, Thane, Jalgaon, Sangli-cum-Satara, Nanded, Yavatmal, Pune, Bhandara-cum-Gondia, Raigad-cum-Ratnagiri-cum-Sindhudurg, Nashik, Wardha-cum-Chandrapur-cum-Gadchiroli, Amravati, Osmanabad-cum-Latur-cum-Beed, Parbhani-cum-Hingoli and Aurangabad-cum-Jalna. Several prominent political figures had represented these seats earlier, including Prashant Paricharak, Chandubhai Patel and Ambadas Danve.
Details On The Poll Schedule
According to the schedule announced by the poll panel, the official notification for the elections will be issued on May 25, 2026. The last date for filing nominations has been fixed as June 1, while scrutiny of nominations will take place on June 2. Candidates can withdraw their nominations till June 4.
Polling for all 16 seats will be conducted on June 18 between 8 am and 4 pm, while counting of votes is scheduled for June 22. The entire election process is expected to be completed by June 25. The Election Commission also announced that the Model Code of Conduct has come into immediate effect in the concerned constituencies following the declaration of the poll schedule.
By-election Announced In Nagpur
Additionally, the Election Commission of India also announced a by-election for the Maharashtra Legislative Council seat from the Nagpur Local Authorities’ Constituency. The vacancy arose after Chandrashekhar Bawankule vacated the seat following his election to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in November 2024.
The Commission said the bypoll could not be conducted earlier due to non-fulfilment of the required criteria regarding functioning local bodies and availability of electors. With those conditions now fulfilled, polling for the Nagpur seat will also be held on June 18, 2026, alongside the biennial elections for the 16 Legislative Council seats. The schedule for nominations, scrutiny, withdrawal and counting will remain the same as the main Council elections, with counting of votes set for June 22.
The elections are expected to trigger major political activity in Maharashtra, with several parties likely to begin negotiations and candidate selection for the influential Legislative Council seats. The Local Authorities’ Constituencies elections are particularly crucial as elected representatives from municipal corporations, municipalities and local self-government bodies form the electoral college for these polls.
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