Pune, 2 December (H.S.):
The first phase of Maharashtra’s local body elections commenced on Tuesday, witnessing a gradual onset with an 8.37% voter turnout recorded in Pune district within the initial two hours. Polling began at 7:30 a.m. across 12 nagar parishads and three nagar panchayats, with officials anticipating increased voter engagement as the day progresses.
The elections, covering hundreds of municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state, are being held under the Supreme Court’s directive to be completed by January 31, 2026. In Pune district alone, over 4.5 lakh voters are eligible, casting ballots for 6,042 seats and 264 council president posts statewide.This local body contest primarily pits the ruling Mahayuti coalition—which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party under Ajit Pawar—against the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), composed of Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP, and allied partners.
Other regional parties such as the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi are also active, with some forming local alliances with MVA members.
Amidst election excitement, the State Election Commission has implemented stringent measures to prevent fraudulent voting, introducing a “double star” marking system on electoral rolls for suspected duplicate voters and enforcing intensive identity verification at polling booths.
Additionally, the launch of a mobile app provides voters with detailed candidate information and affidavits, aiming to foster transparency.Votes cast on Tuesday will be counted on Wednesday, with the results eagerly awaited as an indicator of the evolving political landscape in Maharashtra ahead of future elections.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
