Mumbai: The first phase of the Maharashtra local body elections kicked off on Tuesday morning with voting underway across hundreds of municipal councils and nagar panchayats, but the polling day began on a tense note after the Congress raised allegations of bogus voting in parts of Buldhana district.
Balloting, which began at 7:30 am and will continue until 5:30 pm, marks the opening round of a major civic electoral exercise that spans both rural and urban regions. This phase includes contests for 264 municipal council president posts and 6,042 seats in councils and nagar panchayats across the state.
According to officials, nearly one crore eligible voters are expected to decide the fate of thousands of candidates. The Supreme Court has directed the state to complete the multi-phase civic election process by January 31, 2026, making this poll cycle one of the most closely monitored in recent years.
To facilitate smooth voting, the State Election Commission has established 12,316 polling stations and deployed over 62,000 polling personnel. Officials said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been installed at all booths, supported by 17,367 control units and 34,734 ballot units to manage the heavy voter load.
Security has been tightened across sensitive regions, with local police and district administrations instructed to maintain strict vigilance throughout the polling period. Despite the elaborate arrangements, early complaints surfaced from the Congress, which alleged irregularities in Buldhana and demanded immediate intervention from election authorities.
Vote counting for this phase will take place on December 3, when the electoral picture for several key districts will become clearer.
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