Pune: As per the orders of the State Election Commission, polling will be held today, Saturday (December 20), for the Baramati and Phursungi-Uruli Devachi municipal councils in the district; as well as for eight wards – two in Lonavala, five in Talegaon Dabhade, and one in Daund. Voting in the remaining areas was held on December 2. The counting of votes for all 14 municipal councils and three nagar panchayats in the district will be held on Sunday (December 21).
The election for the Baramati Municipal Council, where the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) holds sway, is expected to be closely contested. Therefore, the entire state is watching this election with keen interest. Along with these municipal councils, the counting of votes for the elections held on December 2 will also take place tomorrow, Sunday (December 21). The election campaigning ended on Friday (December 19), and the district administration has completed all preparations for the polling and vote counting. Voting will take place from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM on Saturday.
The State Election Commission, in its order dated November 29, announced a revised schedule for the general elections of municipal councils and nagar panchayats. Accordingly, full elections will be held for the Baramati and Phursungi-Uruli Devachi municipal councils, while elections will be held for eight wards in the Lonavala, Talegaon-Dabhade, and Daund municipal councils.
In this election, there are 14 candidates for the post of mayor in Baramati and seven candidates for the Phursungi-Uruli Devachi municipal council. For the 41-member seats in Baramati, there are 155 candidates, and for the 32-member seats in Phursungi-Uruli Devachi, there are 120 candidates.
For one member seat in Daund (Ward No. 9-A), there are three candidates, and for two seats in Lonavala (Ward No. 5-B and Ward No. 10-A), there are five candidates. There are 12 candidates for five seats in Talegaon-Dabhade (Ward No. 2-A, Ward No. 8-A, Ward No. 8-B, Ward No. 7-B and Ward No. 10-B).
Voting has begun at 7:30 AM. A mock poll was also conducted before the actual voting.
For the complete elections in two municipal councils and elections in eight wards of three other municipal councils in the district, there are a total of 231 polling stations. A total of 2,12,396 voters will exercise their right to vote. This includes 1,08,310 male voters, 1,04,056 female voters, and 30 other voters, according to information provided by the district administration's election branch.
Holiday in the election area
To enable voters to exercise their right to vote, a public holiday has been declared in the jurisdiction of the concerned local self-government body. This public holiday will also apply to voters who are outside the constituency area for work. Central government offices, semi-government offices, public undertakings, and banks in the municipal council and nagar panchayat areas will also observe a public holiday.
Meanwhile, presiding officers and polling officers have been appointed at the polling stations, and a total of 1,425 officers and employees will be on duty at the centres. Adequate security arrangements have also been made for the elections.
“All preparations for the municipal council elections and vote counting have been completed. Vote counting will begin on Sunday (December 21) at 10:00 AM. Political parties should adhere to the model code of conduct and ensure that the election process is completed peacefully,” said Jitendra Dudi, District Election Officer.
