Over 2.09 crore voters in Maharashtra are casting ballots today to elect representatives for 12 zilla parishads and 125 panchayat samitis, amid a sombre campaign following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The elections cover districts in western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Konkan regions. Results are scheduled for February 9.
Voting is underway across 12 zilla parishads (ZPs) and 125 panchayat samitis in Maharashtra, with a total of 2.09 crore voters participating. This includes 1.07 crore men, 1.02 crore women, and 473 others, who will decide the fate of candidates contesting for 731 ZP seats and 1,462 panchayat samiti seats.
The state has 32 ZPs and 336 panchayat samitis in total, but elections in 20 ZPs and 211 panchayat samitis were deferred following the Supreme Court's intervention due to breaches in the 50 per cent reservation ceiling. Today's polls are taking place in five districts from western Maharashtra—Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, and Kolhapur; four from Marathwada—Dharashiv, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur, and Parbhani; and three from Konkan—Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg.
The campaign has been subdued since the accidental death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28. Both the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction have fielded candidates jointly, with several NCP (SP) nominees using the NCP's clock symbol. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refrained from active campaigning, which was originally planned for Konkan on January 28 but cancelled after Pawar's death. Instead, state ministers and local MLAs from the BJP engaged with voters.
In place of live appearances, the NCP released a pre-recorded video message from Ajit Pawar, filmed on January 24. In it, he urged support for the party's candidates, emphasizing commitments to agriculture, rural development, youth employment, and women's empowerment.
Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar was among the early voters, casting her ballot in Katewadi, Baramati. Seats include significant reservations: in ZPs, 369 for women, 83 for Scheduled Castes, 25 for Scheduled Tribes, and 191 for OBCs; in panchayat samitis, 731 for women, 166 for Scheduled Castes, 38 for Scheduled Tribes, and 342 for OBCs.
The elections were announced on January 13 and rescheduled from February 5 to February 7 due to a three-day state mourning period following Pawar's death. The Supreme Court had allowed a two-week extension beyond the January 31 deadline for completing the polls. Vote counting is set for February 9, beginning at designated centres.
