Mumbai: Vote counting for the Maharashtra Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections began on Tuesday morning across 12 districts, with heavy police deployment and tight security at counting centres. The elections, which cover 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis, are being seen as a crucial political indicator for rural Maharashtra.
Early trends show the ruling Mahayuti alliance maintaining a strong lead. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the single largest party in initial counts, followed by the Shiv Sena (Shinde group) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction). Collectively, the Mahayuti alliance has crossed the 350-seat mark in combined Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti results so far.
On the opposition side, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress — has made selective gains but trails the ruling combine by a wide margin. Independents and smaller regional parties have also managed to secure a modest presence.
Congress Breaks the Ice in Sangli
The Congress party opened its account in Sangli district with a key win in the Palus Panchayat Samiti, where Rishikesh Lad defeated his rivals. The victory is symbolically important for Congress, as Lad is related to sitting MLA Vishwajit Kadam and the party has struggled in recent local body contests in western Maharashtra.
First Major Rural Test After Political Turmoil
The elections were held amid an emotionally and politically charged atmosphere, coming just days after the tragic death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash. The results are being closely watched as the first large-scale democratic exercise following the sudden leadership vacuum and recent political realignments in the state.
Massive Electoral Exercise
Polling took place across districts including Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Latur. Voters decided the fate of 731 Zilla Parishad seats and 1,462 Panchayat Samiti seats.
The State Election Commission deployed nearly 1.28 lakh officials and set up more than 25,000 polling booths to manage the exercise. Over 2 crore voters were eligible to vote, reflecting the scale and importance of grassroots governance in Maharashtra.
Strong Turnout Signals Rural Engagement
The elections recorded an overall voter turnout of 68.28 percent, indicating sustained public interest in local self-governance. Parbhani topped the turnout chart, followed closely by Kolhapur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, highlighting strong political mobilisation in Marathwada and parts of western Maharashtra.
